Magic Wand: Accelerometer + Remote Control

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Last week at a Gadgethon, I got to set my eyes on the Magic Wand in action. It’s a motion-based IR remote control. The person demoing the soon-to-be-released product was able to turn on his iPod, change the volume, and (after only two tries) turn off the music.

The wand has a total of thirteen gestures that can be programmed to output IR signals. The gestures can be re-programmed at any time when you have the original remote. Their website doesn’t list all of them, but the names are quite suggestive of the motion. They include Rotate (for volume), Flicks (for advancing tracks or channels), and Taps (I would think for Playing and Stopping).

The Magic Wand is a limited use item, but one that had the geeks in the audience salivating. It shows the continuing addition of sensors to everything. Of course it won’t have as much functionality as the remotes it’s complimenting (most likely this won’t actually replace remotes), but it will add a sense of fun that is definitely missing in most control devices. They will be available soon.