Gesture control: Why 2013 is the year when we stop clicking and start waving

The shot in the gesture revolution was Nintendo’s motion-sensing game controller for the Wii, followed quickly by motion capture with infrared cameras on the Xbox Kinect. Last year, nerds praised the not-yet-launched Leap Motion, which allows for gesture-based interaction with devices such as laptops. Now, a Y Combinator-backed company called Thalmic Labs has announced MYO, a cuff-like input device that uses electromyography, or detection of muscles’ electrical signals, to detect gestures and control a range of devices. Taken together, Leap, MYO and a raft of new input and interaction technology will make 2013 the year when we stop clicking and start waving.