A video game console, is an interactive computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device – television, computer monitor etc., to display a video game. 1958 saw the first video game created by William Higginbotham – “tennis for two” using 2 separate controllers connected to an analog computer and using an oscilloscope for a screen. A little over 50 years from there, the definition of gaming has changed, with gaming providing billions of dollars of sale to entrepreneurs and developers.
2006 saw the introduction of the Nintendo Wii, a renaissance in gaming. From the sedentary position of gaming using a joystick or a computer keyboard, gaming saw a new dimension where you leave the couch, strap up remotes to the wrist and play the game in a standing position. The Wii is more physically demanding than other game consoles. A British medical journal, also indicated that this energy may be beneficial to weight management. An American physical therapy journal, reported the use of the Wii for rehabilitation of a team with cerebral palsy.
Along with this massive growth, over a span of almost 55 years in gaming, the entertainment sector grew from basic televisions and monitors to 3D TVs and consoles. Technology took another break with the use of human-machine interface, introducing gesture recognition and the ability to interact naturally with machines without any physical mechanical devices. You can now point a finger at a computer screen and move the cursor using the techniques from computer vision and image processing, making the conventional mouse, keyboard and even the touch screen redundant. Development of the multi-touch environment entirely gesture based, needed no physical contact.
The use of the TV and multiple 3D cameras continuously tracking the movement of all the fingers and both the hands for the purpose of calculating the users hand location, brought in a new dimension in mid 2010. Apple with their iPhone introduced their MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes towards more intuitive smart phone interfaces. Google introduced it in their Gingerbread, Android OS. There is no doubt that 2011 could well be the year of 3D gesture recognition and control.
Starting 2006 with the Nintendo Wii release, various competitors like Sony with their Playstation and Microsoft with their Xbox Connect, Apple and Google besides a range of other gaming equipment manufacturers and developers, have changed the way 3D gesture recognition and control could behave and perform, expanding the scope well beyond the game box.
You can push your imagination to the limits and see the scope of development and application, this technology of 3D gesture recognition and control is capable of providing, to functions and activities in all walks of life. With convergence of the internet, the computer, the smartphone, the TV, gaming devices, etc. 3D gesture recognition and control is going to be the next focus of development in a major sector of the technology market. Let me wave my hands bye to conclude.
