Tired of losing the remote control behind the sofa? Then you need a universal remote. Keep losing that too? Ah, then take a look at the Onecue.
This seemingly unremarkable device aims to eradicate all of your first world problems by giving you control over all manner of smart devices via hand gestures. Simply place the main unit on top of a TV or on a shelf and it’ll wirelessly connect to your various devices for full Kinect-style control of them.
The various hand signals and waves you’ll need to learn include an ‘air click’, which requires users to open and close their palm in order to make selections, while a finger to their lips will mute your system. The interface on the TV screen will show which gesture has been recognised and let you know what it’s about to do.
Onecue works with an exhaustive range of audio-visual kit including TVs, satellite and set-top boxes, DVD and Blu-ray players, a range of other digital media players, stereo receivers, games consoles, Apple TV, the Nest thermostat, Philips Hue lighting and more. Not that we can think of any more. Even devices hidden behind cabinets or adjacent rooms can be turned on thanks to a repeater.
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Users can set-up their wireless system via an iOS or Android app and customise a range of settings. One example Onecue gives is that the television, set-top box and stereo can be turned on simultaneously with one single wave.
The Onecue is developed by eyeSight, an Israeli technology company that focuses solely on Machine Vision and gesture controlled technology. It provides touch-free interfaces to the likes of Lenovo, Philips and Toshiba.
“Every device in our homes, from the TV to the games console to the thermostat, has its own control system and remotes, cables or apps for operation, resulting in lots of clutter and fragmentation,” said Gideon Shmuel, CEO of eyeSight.
“To solve this problem, we developed Onecue, a control centre to bring together all of these devices through a natural, easy-to-use interface that leverages our years of experience in gesture recognition technology to let you experience your home through your fingertips.”
The Onecue is available to pre-order now from theonecue.com for an introductory price of $130 (R1,425). The projected retail price will $200 (about R2,200). We’ve had a peek and they will be shipping to SA in 2015.