Now you can change the TV channel with your pet cat

THE television remote control could become a thing of the past, according to scientists who have developed new technology that allows devices to be controlled through gestures instead.

Computer scientists at Lancaster University have come up with a system that makes it possible to interact with screens by using body movements, or waving objects.

Requiring only a webcam, Matchpoint works by displaying moving targets that orbit a small circular “widget” in the corner of the screen.

Some televisions already recognise hand gestures, but scientists say this technology provides flexibility because it does not look for a specific body part. It works when hands are full, or while standing or slouching on the sofa.

The user synchronises hand, head or object movements with the targets to activate functions such as volume, changing channel or viewing a menu.

Christopher Clarke, a PHD student at the university’s School of Computing and Communications, said: “Spontaneous spatial coupling is a new approach to gesture control that works by matching movement instead of asking the computer to recognise an object.

“Everyday objects in the house can now easily become remote controls so there are no more frantic searches for remote controls, and now everyone in the room has the ‘remote’.

“You could even change the channel with your pet cat.”

A paper on the technology will be presented at the UIST (User Interface Software and Technology) 2017 conference in Quebec City, Canada, later this month.