uWand marks a breakthrough in the way we control and interact
with the TV. Resembling a magic wand in shape, it moves an on-screen
pointer that allows you to call up and select TV content with
perfect ease. It only has few buttons, yet enables much more
sophisticated actions than a typical 40-button 'classical' remote
control.
New user interface paradigm
uWand is a true proof point of "sense and simplicity". "The
development was based on identified insights and trends," says Navin
Natoewal, General Manager of the uWand venture. "We discovered that
many people find remote controls overly complex and also think that
they have too many different remotes in the house. At the same time,
increasing convergence means you can, for instance, access content
through the Internet via your TV. This requires totally new user
interface paradigms which cannot be handled by up, down, left, right
cursor control."
Positive feedback
Work started on the uWand concept in 2003 at three separate
locations; Shanghai, Aachen and Eindhoven. "We showcased the idea at
an internal event in 2004, and after that, Philips Design got
involved," says Galileo Destura, Product Manager of the uWand
venture. "That was great, because although we were able to bring the
idea to life, Design gave it soul." The first external demonstration
of uWand was as part of the 2005 Next Simplicity event in Paris. "It
got more positive feedback than any other concept," adds Natoewal.
"That's when we really knew we were on to a winner." As a result,
the uWand venture was officially launched in 2006.
How it works
The uWand acts as a universal remote control, giving users true
control over all devices in the room. Since uWand is optical-based,
you can use simple gestures to move a cursor on the TV screen and
control your entire room through a rich user interface in an
intuitive and natural manner.
Users can also use the uWand to ‘point and control’ the lighting in
the room to achieve the desired atmosphere. Color and brightness can
be simply adjusted by twisting the pointer.
Looking for partners
Since the ambition is to turn uWand into a truly universal
controller, the approach is to maximize the chances of success by
offering the technology to as many partners (i.e. device and remote
control manufacturers) as possible. The offer to these partners is a
complete reference design and the required firmware to make the
pointer work robustly and intuitively. With the preferred business
model being licensing the firmware product, an ideal fit was found
with IP&S. Therefore, the decision was taken to transfer uWand as a
technology venture to Philips IP&S.
More information:
+
Contact
+
Website uWand
+
Article on EETimes.com
