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You can swipe and zoom but don't have to touch thanks to a new sensor from Japan's Murata.
Not much bigger than the tip of a ball pen, inside this tiny sensor are three infrared
light sources and a sensor. The lights pulse briefly on and off in sync with one another
so more than one light is never on at the same time.
The lights are arranged in a triangular pattern. Watch what happens when I gesture over the
sensor.
The light is reflected back at a slightly different time by each sensor. The detection
pattern differs with different swipes enabling the sensor to differentiate between left and
right and up and down movement.
It can even detect the number of fingers used to make the action. In Murata's demonstration,
a zoom is also possible.
The device is still a prototype and the company says its eventual form will depend on customer
wishes. Mass production is also dependent on getting orders from customers.
At Ceatec Japan 2012 this is Martyn Williams, IDG News Service.