QuantumPhantom
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Quantum Phantom program turns your smartphone into a wireless mouse (video)
The last time we saw Ben Wu, he was busy hammering away at Quantum Phantom -- a prototype program that allows users to manipulate their desktops with a simple webcam. Now, the engineer has expanded the concept to smartphones, as well, with a system that effectively turns any camera-equipped handset into a wireless mouse. To achieve this, Wu hooked up his Android phone to his PC via WiFi and used the IP Webcam app to create a video stream server. The results, by Wu's own admission, aren't exactly elegant (due to an unwieldy configuration process and low-res camera), though he still managed to use his creation to sketch an onscreen smiley face. Watch it for yourself in the demo video, after the break. [Thanks, Ben]
Quantum Phantom prototype lets you control your computer screen with a webcam (video)
A guy named Ben Wu sent us this video recently and it sort of blew our minds. Wu, an engineer and self-described dreamer, has spent the past year developing a program he calls Quantum Phantom -- an Iron Man-inspired system that allows users to control a computer's cursor using only an ordinary webcam. With his Windows software onboard, Wu can draw, write and move onscreen icons or widgets, simply by waving his camera in front of a set of dual monitors. The prototype is even sophisticated enough to recognize his own webcam-produced handwriting and automatically convert it to rich text. In most cases, the sensor relies upon an ordinary cursor to navigate a screen, but Wu has also developed a pointer-free solution, as demonstrated toward the end of the above, three-part video. Be sure to check it out for yourself and get lost in the magic. [Thanks, Ben]
