Leap promises a revolution in motion-control technology

A brand new peripheral is threatening to eclipse the advances made by technologies such as Kinect.

Called Leap, the small device – which connects via USB and is about the size of a flash drive – is said by its developers to be 200x more accurate than any other motion sensing equipment on the market. It can apparently track movements down to 1/100th of a millimetre.

It can track all ten thumbs and fingers as they interact with a 3D space (up to eight cubic feet in size) established around a user’s PC. It can also track pen movement and does an amazing job of tracking handwriting, as is seen in the video below.

It will support Windows 8 out of the box with Linux compatibility currently on the agenda”.

Each Leap unit will retail for $69.99, with the limited initial shipments scheduled to become available this winter. Free developer kits are also being offered to studios.