Motion Control to Innovate Sony Ericsson Handsets

According to a patent application filed by Sony Ericsson, the future camera mobile phones from the Japanese-Swedish joint venture could include the revolutionary motion control technology. More exactly, this means we will be able to command the handset's function (like answering calls, taking pictures or anything else) just by gesturing in front of it.

This is how it works: a software implemented in the phone's camera chip analyzes incoming images, recognizes them as commands and acts correspondingly. Hence, pointing your finger up could be used for answering an incoming call, while pointing it down could mean you want to reject the call. Furthermore, users can set their phone to perform different commands for different corresponding gestures.

If we look at Sony Ericsson's past products we discover that, in a way, motion control is already implemented in other phones. For example, the W580i Walkman phone comes with a "shake" function that enables users to change songs by shaking the device. Also, the W380 model comes with a "Gesture Control" technology that allows you to answer the phone or turn off its alarm with a simple hand wave.

Although Sony Ericsson's invention looks to be mainly intended for camera mobile phones, the application patent also states that it can be used in other devices too, like a remote control with built-in camera. So it seems we're talking about stepping into a new era, where motion and remote controlling will pay an important role in our lives.

While the idea is great and could bring many good changes in the way we interact with the devices around us, I can't help thinking about a cartoon I saw many years ago (or was it a movie or a book I read?), about the "man of the future", sitting in his room, having everything remotely controlled but barely being able to move because all the fat he put on in time, from not doing anything...

Sure, we all love comfort and we all want to make life as simple as possible, but sometimes "simple" can prove to be wrong. Hope that's not the case with Sony Ericsson's invention.