Advertisement

Samsung shows a smartwatch concept you control by waving your hands

Touchscreens on smartwatches are limited by their very nature; there's only so much you can fit on a tiny piece of glass. However, Samsung might overcome that surface area limit if it ever implements a recently published patent application. Its smartwatch concept would let you perform relatively complex tasks just by waving your hands in front of a built-in camera. You could send content to a TV just by flicking your hand, for example, or select something by pointing your finger.

That wouldn't be the only party trick. The watch would recognize wrist gestures beyond the simple screen activation you find in Samsung's Gear line, for a start. It would also have a Moto 360-style circular display with both an optimized touchscreen interface and a rotating ring for tasks like scrolling. It's an ambitious, do-it-all design, and it won't be surprising if Samsung only uses some of the technology -- if it's used at all. When Samsung is already big on gesture control and plans to support Android Wear, though, there's a real chance that future smartwatches will let you do much more than poke at buttons and issue simple voice commands.