Philips Shows uWand ‘Remote Touch’ at IBC

Philips will demonstrate its uWand ‘remote touch’ pointer technology for PCs and TVs at IBC. uWand supersedes the traditional remote control to give users fluid 3D gesture control of electronic devices. Consumers sitting on a sofa can point the uWand in the appropriate direction, click to make selections and move the uWand to interact with screen menus.

uWand makes use of a small camera embedded in the remote control that identifies beacons built into the target device. User inputs and the controller’s pointing coordinates are sent to and interpreted by the target device.

“The traditional remote control, with its 50 or more buttons, simply isn’t keeping pace with modern interactive television, said uWand GM Navin Natoewal. "uWand’s gesture-based control removes the need for all the buttons yet provides a much expanded range of interaction. Internet based television services no longer need to be restricted to simple ‘up, down, left, right’ control.”