With one of the largest Leap Motion communities on the planet, Japan is an incredible source of 3D interactive creations. A photo hackathon of epic proportions. Three unique web apps. Two Airspace experiments from game designer Eddie Lee. A Leap Motion-driven industrial album and biometric beatboxing. And that’s just scratching the surface!
This week, we’re looking at how Japanese developers and artists have been inspired by 3D interaction. But first, some great news for Japanese Leap Motion lovers. With the Japanese retail launch of the Leap Motion Controller, you can now find our technology in SoftBank BB stores throughout Japan.
But that’s only half of the good news. Leap Motion is becoming more global than ever, so we recently added a new language translations feature to the Airspace Store. In honor of our Japanese launch, we’re introducing the feature with full Japanese support. Want to check it out? Scroll down to the bottom of the Airspace Store and use the dropdown menu. Now, onwards!
3 Web Apps from Japanese Developers
Time Travel
After winning at last month’s Japan Photo Hack Day, the creators of Time Travel have brought their interactive web app to Airspace. Reach into the past and explore photos of your search topics and interests, and twirl your finger to move time forwards or backwards.
The Nikkei: Japanese Newspaper
The financial world at your fingertips. Featuring high-quality reporting and in-depth analysis, The Nikkei is a Japanese-language newspaper that covers economic and business news. With a subscription to the Nikkei online edition, you can access the latest news and archives at leap.nikkei.com.
Videogram
Watch and discover your favorite videos. Videogram pulls the best scenes from a video to create summaries in pictures that can be searched and curated. With a wave of your hand, Videogram lets you browse and explore videos as easily as photos.
2 Experimental Games from Eddie Lee
Lotus
As you saw in our video, Eddie Lee is inspired by music and nature to create fun, playful experiences with the latest technologies. Lotus is a quirky set of interactive musical toys that lets you dynamically create your own cool sounds.
Download free for Mac and Windows »
Kyoto
Feeling contemplative? Dip into the mysterious and melancholy world of Kyoto. Mind-melting ambient music and beautiful visuals reveal an intuitive puzzle that you play with your hands. Just like the city itself, it’s a magical experience that will never leave you.
Download free for Mac and Windows »
Musical Experiments with Leap Motion Interaction
Tokyo DJ’s Industrial Leap Motion Album
Launched in October, Tokyo-based industrial artist Aliceffekt’s album Telekinetic was the first known album release created with the Leap Motion Controller. By translating hand movements into retro-futuristic sounds, Aliceffekt created the full 20-minute ambient album with 3D interaction as his main instrument.
Humanelectro: Biometric Beatboxing
At a live event in Tokyo called ∑(SIGMA), Ryo Fujimoto created live audio and visuals from electrical sensors hooked to his body, along with the Leap Motion Controller, which tracked his finger positions in real time.
What inspires you to create? We’d love to hear about how you use the Leap Motion Controller to express yourself. Let us hear your story on Twitter @LeapMotion or on Facebook.