Glove Mouse project gives 'pinch to zoom' a new meaning (video)

We never cease to be amazed by the number of projects spawned from that one scene in Minority Report where Tom Cruise goes massively multitouch, but we'll also never tire of seeing those projects in action. The latest is the Glove Mouse from Tony Hyun Kim and Nevada Sanchez at MIT and, while they've been on the project for some time (winning the school's George C. Newton Project Prize in 2009 for their work), they've recently made the gloves wireless and posted some photos and videos. Each glove sports an LED on the back of the index finger, picked up by a low-res webcam to act like a cursor, along with buttons under the index and middle fingers activated by the thumb. It's a little like Wiimote meets Peregrine and the result has a lot of potential to say the least. Click on through for a rocking video demonstration, but be sure to dust off those Guitar Hero controllers before you do.

[Thanks, Nebada]

[JS Posted Mar 31st 2010 8:56AM]

Awesome stuff. Is it open source? That shouldn't be too hard to make into a version that works with a computer right? Would be cool to do power point presentations like that.

[Hate Everything Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:07AM]

Ok, the timing of this blog is uncanny because I was just searching for PC wiimote hacks this week. The thing is, when looking for wiimote hacks, turns out most people suggest using a program called GlovePIE... which apparently was designed to work with IR gloves.

[Nitesh Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:10AM]

Cool, but wheres my Minority Report HUD?

[JohnWayneBrady Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:11AM]

Minority Report? How about Johnny Mnemonic....

Warning: Some great acting going on in this clip!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-VokLUANAs

[serenn Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:49AM]

@JohnWayneBrady

I love that the typing in that clip sounds like setting a car alarm over and over.

[MarkB Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:15AM]

Yeah, well, uh, just keep your Power Gloves off her, pal, huh?

[DeFlanko Posted Mar 31st 2010 10:59AM]

@MarkB
"the Wizard" comment... wins all.

[Eternity Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:15AM]

I bet this stuff will come out and some patent troll will kill it in it's tracks.

[kaasinees Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:29AM]

@Eternity

you cant patent something that was in the media.

[Eternity Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:34AM]

@kaasinees
*ITS

Is that what this "prior art" stuff is about?

[Luke Skywalker Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:34AM]

I love the power glove. It's so bad.

[THJ Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:41AM]

@Luke Skywalker Too bad you didn't have one in Episode V.

[Luke Skywalker Posted Mar 31st 2010 12:25PM]

@Lord Vader
And I yours, father.

[dmbphan041 Posted Mar 31st 2010 9:43AM]

I feel like this has been tried before....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Glove

no but seriously, it's cool.

[supadaddyme Posted Mar 31st 2010 10:03AM]

You would need some tiny hands to use those. My Man hands would never slide into something that.

[DougieBear Posted Mar 31st 2010 10:08AM]

Now you're playing with power!

[yooyo3d Posted Mar 31st 2010 10:10AM]

Gloveless home made motion capture controling robot arm detection:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haylMIvjPDE

[hdawggy Posted Mar 31st 2010 10:15AM]

This has been done... many many times... this does not deserve half as much merit that engadget is awarding....

[ezelkow1 Posted Mar 31st 2010 11:00AM]

Maybe engadget should just start searching engineering schools senior design project websites for stories, one of these gets done every year at every engineering school. I know I had one in my senior class 5 years ago, and there was another one after that.

[fsX Posted Mar 31st 2010 10:57AM]

Will these be compatible with my flying, wireless recharged car?

[bolezhinkov Posted Mar 31st 2010 11:49AM]

anyone who makes a video should send it by me so that we dont have to deal with sudden jumps in volume between scenes and musical interludes. even major network shows have this problem, which is ridiculous to me. dont they have someone that actually LISTENS to the show before it airs? sheesh. Lost is a particularly notable offender.

[Lord Vader Posted Mar 31st 2010 11:55AM]

Yes, I enjoyed cutting off his hand

[Lord Vader Posted Mar 31st 2010 12:02PM]

Tom cruise went multitouch? Don't correct me if I'm wrong (seriously, I'll have you assasinated), but Tom went multi-gesture. Multitouch involves actually "touching" something physical, doesn't it?

[chosenone1 Posted Mar 31st 2010 12:36PM]

@Lord Vader I concur lord Vadar ...Long live the empire

[Lord Vader Posted Mar 31st 2010 12:41PM]

Good chosenone1. You live

[yrag Posted Mar 31st 2010 5:55PM]

Keep on ROCKIN' at MIT!

[silversun Posted Mar 31st 2010 7:24PM]

this is cool and all but i found an implementation for this using the wiimote about a year ago. i think it was called WiiMouse or something...

[apoorvagiri Posted Apr 1st 2010 1:23PM]

these gloves are clumsy....wanna make it simple