Some of those best technology we’ve seen at CES feels pulled straight out of sci-fi. Yesterday at CES 2025, I tested the AirTouch technology of the Neural Lab, which allows you to interact with a display using hand movements alone, what the movies want. Minority Report and Iron Man promised. Of course, many companies provide different forms of motion control. Microsoft’s Kinect an early example while the Apple Watch’s double tap feature and Vision Pro’s pinch movements just two of many current iterations. But I’m impressed with how well AirTouch delivers and, unlike most gesture technology out there, it doesn’t require any special equipment – just a standard webcam – and works across multiple devices.

Neural Lab software is compatible with tablets, computers and any device running at least Android 11, Windows 10 and later or Linux. The technology was developed with accessibility in mind after one of the founders had trouble keeping in touch with their parents abroad because navigating video conferencing programs was too difficult for the older generation. The Neural Labs representative I spoke with added how his parents prefer using an iPad over a computer/mouse/keyboard combo because the touch controls are so much more intuitive. With AirTouch, they can use their TV as they would a tablet.

In addition to accessibility, there are also many commercial applications – such as allowing surgeons to manipulate MRI scans without touching anything or a more common scenario such as moving the slide in a presentation.

AirTouch tracks 3D hand movements and eye gaze keys to recognize intent, allowing it to ignore external gestures. It currently supports nine movements and customization allows users to program up to 15.

I tested two demonstrations: a 3D screen with an animated image of a tree frog and a monitor displaying a webpage in a browser. On the 3D screen, a raised finger drops a pinecone on the frog’s head, two fingers drop an acorn, a thumb spins the frog on its leafy perch and a silent motion of the coyote makes it turn. this. It took me all of 15 seconds to learn and use the four moves and soon I was raining acorns on the poor frog like a bad squirrel.

It’s almost as easy (though less fun) to control the display screen in a web browser. The movement of my hand dragged the cursor across the screen and the flick replaced the click. I was able to scroll through a streaming site, select something to play, pause it and start it again within seconds of learning hand gestures. There were a few times where my actions didn’t do what I expected, but after a few tries, I started to get the controls.

AirTouch is now available as a $30 per month subscription for individuals (and $300 per month for companies). Neural Labs says it only takes five minutes to install the software on any compatible device.