HP adds Leap Motion gesture control to 11 PCs

HP has added Leap Motion's matchbox-sized motion sensor into 11 new desktop and all-in-one PCs, joining the original HP Envy 17 Leap Motion laptop.

Leap Motion started its foray into gesture control with the Leap Motion Controller and then added a partnership with HP into the mix, collaborating on the Envy 17 Leap Motion Special Edition laptop.

That collaboration has borne new fruit, with HP adding the Leap Motion gesture-control sensor to 11 of its new desktop and all-in-one PCs. Eight all-in-ones and three stand-alone desktop PCs are being sold bundled with HP's USB Leap Motion keyboard, which includes a Leap Motion sensor above the function keys. The keyboard is not currently available separately; if you want it, you'll have to buy an HP system at the same time.

The sensor is the same as in the Envy 17 laptop but not identical to the one used in the Leap Motion controller itself. Leap Motion's blog post says the sensor underwent a fat-trimming process: "Through hardware optimisation and innovation, our engineers were able to design a micro sensor that’s only 3.5 millimetres in height, which is also now embedded in HP’s newest keyboard."

Seven Envy PCs and four Pavilions will be sold with the Leap Motion keyboard in the US, although it's not yet clear whether they'll be available in Australia as well. Since the computers will simply be preloaded with Leap Motion's software and the Airspace Store pre-installed, it's likely the motion-sensing keyboards will work with other PCs, too.