Computer users are already used to pointing and clicking. In the future, gesture interfaces could allow us to just point at stuff and skip all the clicking.
The Italian car design firm Italdesign-Giugiaro is working with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland to develop a small device with wireless sensors that translate people's gestures into signals to operate devices in the environment. For example, you could control the TV or use the Internet anywhere in your smart house simply using manual gestures.
One challenge the researchers face is interpreting individual users' unique gestures and natural ways of doing things, so that appliances won't go mad when a family is having a heated, arm-waving chat.
Details: VTT Electronics, www.vtt.fi/vtt/new/new121.htm or www.extra.research.philips.com/euprojects/ambience
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