Wave goodbye to the remote control

Left to right: "News To Me" host Eric Lanford & CNN Photojournalist Ferre Dollar at the CES.

Maybe it fell between the cushions, maybe you left it in the other room, maybe your dog thought it was a new chew toy... at one time or another we have all found ourselves looking for a lost remote control. Or even worse, finding out that your remote has used up all the juice in it's batteries. You'd think we'd learn to keep AAA's on hand for such an occasion, but we never do.

Well, the folks at Hitachi have come up with a solution to both these problems: get rid of the remote! It's not quite ready for prime time, but devices that you can control with a wave of your hand or a twirl of your finger are on the horizon. To change the channel, swipe your hand left to right in the air a few feet away from the TV. Adjust the volume by pointing at the screen and twirling your finger, like you are spinning an imaginary ipod clickwheel. This particular demonstration included a "home automation" feature that will (someday) allow you to change the lighting or even the temperature in your home with just a gesture.

At the Gesture Tek booth across the convention hall, Eric used a similar system to play a driving game. No special accessories required, he just "gripped" a virtual steering wheel in the air in front of the game monitor and drove. Yes, the car in the game was totaled several times, but it was still cool!

You can catch Eric demonstrating the Hitachi system from the floor of the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today on Morning Express with Robin Meade!