Sight, finger interfaces to go on show at CES

International CES attendees will be introduced to the next generation of user interface when the Consumer Electronics Association's four-day expo opens its doors tomorrow in Las Vegas, Nevada, US.

According to tech site The Register, gesture-driven input devices for use with Windows 8 will be on display from Lenovo and little-known Swedish firm Tobii, which is exploring the niche technology of control-by-sight.

Lenovo has already integrated the eyeSight technology of finger-gesturing into its Yoga laptops and a wave of the hand can control volume in Media Player or slide transition in PowerPoint.

Tobii was founded in 2001 in Stockholm and has concentrated on sight-control research ever since, initiating a number of projects to help special-needs users. It will be demonstrating a USB device that allows users to look at live tiles on the Windows 8 home screen instead of using a mouse. Clicking is still done with a button however, but rather than pressing the button, users will hold it down and release it once they are looking at the desired area. The device is set for a trial release of 5,000 units in the spring.

Although Microsoft's new touch enabled OS complements mobile devices with a degree of success, many users have reported that they have opted to switch to "classic" view when performing desktop-style computing tasks. Next-gen approaches like those of Lenovo and Tobii may better serve Windows 8 as it battles for share of the shrinking PC market.