Swiping through the air to control items on a screen conjure up images of the sci-fi technology seen in Minority Report . But a Norwegian firm has not only designed the system using an everyday smartphone , it has designed it to work from up to seven feet ( 2 metres ) away . The system tracks a user ’ s hands movements using ultrasound to skip through images , play and pause videos and music , take selfies and control characters in online games . Scroll down for video . During MailOnline ’ s demonstration , Elliptic Labs ’ vice president of product development , Guenael Strutt showcased how the technology can be used to show or hide the controls on YouTube videos ( pictured ) Dubbed Ultra-Fast Ultra-Far Interaction , the system was built by experts at Norway-based Elliptic Labs . Ultrasound signals sent through the air from speakers in smartphones and tablets bounce against a user ’ s hand and are recorded by standard microphones . Elliptic Labs ’ technology uses these signals to recognises hand gestures and uses them to move objects on a screen . The company compared it to the way bats use echolocation to navigate . Gestures can be recognised from all sides of the device at 180 degrees . During MailOnline ’ s demonstration , Elliptic Labs ’ vice president of product development , Guenael Strutt showcased how the technology can be used to show or hide the controls on YouTube videos . Dubbed Ultra-Fast Ultra-Far Interaction , the system was built by experts at Norway-based Elliptic Labs . Ultrasound signals sent through the air from speakers in smartphones and tablets bounce against a user ’ s hand and are recorded by standard microphones . Elliptic Labs ’ technology uses these signals to recognises hand gestures and uses them to move objects on a screen . The company compared it to the way bats use echolocation to navigate . Gestures can be recognised from all sides of the device at 180 degrees . He revealed how photos can be moved and managed using slow or fast swipes left and right , how an on-screen octopus could be controlled on a mobile game by moving his hand up and down , and taking selfies by virtually tapping a shutter button . And on a tablet , a music app and playback was controlled by virtually pressing the play button . A previous version , which measured gestures from 19 inches ( 50cm ) away , was showcased at this year ’ s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January . This demo introduced Multi Layer Interaction ( MLI ) which lets mobiles and tablets display different content depending on the location and distance a user ’ s hand is from the device . By using technology that is already inside smartphones along with software that can sit on top of existing operating systems , Elliptic Labs hopes to launch the technology in handsets later this year . Science fiction to reality : The technology that involves swiping through the air to control items on a screen conjures up images of the futuristic world seen in Minority Report ( scene pictured ) Elliptic Labs ’ technology uses these signals to recognises hand gestures and uses them to move objects on a screen . The company compared it to the way bats use echolocation to navigate ( demo handset pictured ) Mr Strutt said the company had already partnered with two manufacturers but didn ’ t reveal which ones . ‘ With Elliptic Labs ’ gesture recognition technology the entire zone above and around a mobile device becomes interactive and responsive to the smallest gesture , ’ said the firm . ‘ The active area is 180 degrees around the device made possible by ultrasound [ and ] Elliptic Labs delivers the largest interaction space for consumer electronic devices while using very low power. ’ Mr Strutt added that the interaction space can also be customised by device manufacturers or software developers depending on how they want it to be used .
The system tracks a users hands movements using sensors . Gestures can skip through conversations , play videos and take selfies . It can also control characters in online games or live music . Ultrasound signals sent through the speakers from speakers in tablets and tablets bounce against a user ’ s hand and are recorded by microphones . Elliptic monkeys uses these sensors to recognise hand movements . The company compared it to the way bats use echolocation to navigate .