EyeSight's new technology lets you wave your finger to flip through TV channels

An Israeli company has developed a new technology that allows users to control their television with just a fingertip, even from across the room. It is the world's first commercial gesture technology to allow control of digital devices with a fingertip, the company claims.

The firm said its technology could revolutionise an almost limitless range of devices, including TVs, computers, digital designs and window displays, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

The system works by using real-time image processing and machine vision algorithms to track the user's hand gestures and convert them into commands. Those commands are then used to control functions and applications within the device. The technology is software-based and uses the standard camera in the device, although it is also compatible with 3D and infrared sensors.

"The unique Fingertip tracking technology has been in development for some time now, and now we are officially launching this as a product available for licensing together with our other solutions or as a standalone engine," CEO Gideon Shmuel of EyeSight Technologies said.

"This fingertip tracking capability is extremely accurate enabling millimetre resolution of recognition up to 5 metres away from the device," Shmuel said.

"The fingertip tracking UI solution is available for various devices from tablets and PCs and up to TVs, set-top boxes and digital signage," Shmuel added.

The technology can be integrated at various levels of the target device, from right down in the chipset or up through the operating system, the camera or written into the application, the firm said.