Leap Motion, the San Francisco based startup behind a new 3D gesture control system for computers has revealed its first OEM bundling deal this morning. Starting this year, select high-end notebooks and premium All-in-One PCs from Asus will let users control Windows by gesturing with their hands and fingers in the air.
The technology works much like Kinect, translating movement onto the screen, but the Leap is reportedly 200 times more accurate, will cost significantly less than the $250 Microsoft is charging for its add-on, and only tracks hand movement and other objects within an 8 cubic feet space instead of your whole body.
The partnership with Asus will see the Leap's tiny sensor bundled with select machines and the Leap app store pre-installed in those computers. Standalone Leap Motion controllers are expected to be available soon too. The company noted that "lots of other OEMs" are interested in Leap and mentioned the posibility of integrating the technology into devices in the future rather than bundling the sensor separately.
Along with announcing the partnership, Leap also said it recently closed a $30 million funding round to help bring its technology to the masses. The company is not alone trying to come up with new input methods for our everyday computing tasks. A Norwegian company called Elliptic Labs hopes to achieve a similar gesture system but using a cheaper ultrasound technique, while Tobii has been making some advancements of their own with an eye-tracking sensor that lets you navigate through Windows 8's interface.
