This $299 device turns your TV into a touchscreen interface for Android
One of the funniest things I’ve seen in my life is watching my 3 year-old niece attempt to touch things on the TV that she thinks should be interactive, just like her mom’s phone and tablet. She can’t understand why the icons on the TV don’t respond to her touch and the people behind the Touchjet Wave probably had the same thought when they created this new device.
At first glance, it’s a simple arm that sits on top of your TV watching what you do. It works by displaying an image of your Android device right on the TV, while the camera monitors your movements and simulates button presses based on where you touch the screen. Not only that, it’s compatible with both iOS and Android devices so you can use your TV as a giant display.
The project got its start on IndieGoGo back in August of 2015, rocketing well past its funding goal and managing to collect $800k in funds to create the device. Now it’s available directly from Best Buy.
So how does it work? According to the project’s IndieGoGo page, the Touchjet wave uses infrared sensors to track your finger movement across the screen, translating those gestures into inputs that Android can understand. It’s designed for TVs up to 65″ in length and can accurately send your gestures for just about any size TV. Touchjet says if you don’t want fingerprints on your screen, it’s also compatible with any capacitive stylus.