Tonight, Leap Motion developers are coming together at HTML5 DevConf to discuss the future of our platform. On Developer Labs, we have 3D finger painting and rapid prototyping with a new visual programming language. Check out smart home experiments, a Leap Motion guitar, bio-robotic creature control, and an evil-looking hand. Plus, we’re welcoming our new community manager and introducing the rest of Leap Motion’s Developer Program team.

Featured News: October 22, 2013

Developer Meetup @ HTML5

Leap Motion developers from around the world are meeting at San Francisco’s Moscone Center to explore the possibilities of web design and new platforms. For the latest news about our monthly meetups, and to join in future events, subscribe to our meetup page.

Developer Labs

3D Printer Finger Painting at Maker Faire

Visitors at this year’s Toronto Mini Maker Faire were able to effortlessly turn air drawings into plastic sculptures, thanks to a 3D printer and the Leap Motion Controller. Read more »

Rapid Prototyping with Vuo

With the launch of their first public beta later this week, Vuo is making it easier for developers everywhere to build and adapt multimedia projects with Leap Motion. Read more »

On Developer Labs, you can find deep insights and technical perspectives on Leap Motion projects, natural user interfaces, and developer communities worldwide.

Pyrolator created a quick and dirty Max for Live patch that allows you to control parameters in Ableton Live with the Leap Motion Controller. You can download the patch from his website.

The future is smart. The team at SmartThings shared this video showing how Leap Motion technology can control a variety of lights and gadgets in your home. You can download and play with the integration on SmartThings Labs.

Leap Motion and guitar, together at last. Nicolás Earnshaw created a JavaScript app that detects your guitar’s head as if it were a hand, so you can map XYZ coordinates to MIDI.

To see the latest UI elements and sample code shared by the community, check out Links & Libraries. You can share your code on the Projects & Collaborations forum.

Highlights & Innovations

String it on. Check out this experimental air violin by Daniel Berlin. The left hand’s height controls note pitch, while the right hand’s speed controls instrument expression.

Manipulating bio-robotic creatures. visiophone posted this video experiment from a forthcoming interactive installation.

Developed in vvvv, a multimedia programming environment, this truly wicked hand features a wealth of visual effects along with Leap Motion control.

Meet the Developer Program Team

We’re welcoming our new community manager this week, so we thought we’d take the opportunity to introduce the people behind Leap Motion’s Developer Program.

		Born in Philadelphia, Zachary now calls Oakland his home, and has been working with free software projects since 2001. His first GNU/Linux was Red Hat 5.2, and ioquake3 is the first-person-shooter engine technology his developer community has been working on since 2005. You can also watch Zachary play Brutal Doom on YouTube or send him a message via the Twitterverse. He can’t wait to help you get on Airspace! Twitter: @TimeDoctor
		Popularly known simply as “E,” Elizabeth is not new to Leap Motion – but is to the Developer Programs team. She fell in love with computers during a C++ elective in 8th grade, and as an employee for three hardware startups, has been working with technical communities and global accelerator programs since 2007. A former entrepreneur in residence, program manager, and startup weekend facilitator, she’s familiar with all the aspects of architecting global entrepreneurial communities. Twitter: @eruscitto
		Nicknamed after his home country’s national bird, Michael “Kiwi” Sutherland left New Zealand after three years of developing software to travel the world as a mega-yacht engineer – through the Mediterranean, Amazon, Suez, and Indian Ocean. Later, Kiwi moved to San Francisco, earned his MBA, and joined the Leap Motion team. As the Leap Developer Program Manager, he works with the developer community to support and promote your applications to the world. Twitter: @kiwi
		Based in the small fishing town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Alex is an inveterate workaholic, proud father, and political theory junkie. He likes to dig beneath the surface of the everyday to make the familiar feel strange and new. His winding career path includes student journalism, historical research, and public relations for Special Olympics. As Leap Motion’s thought leadership writer, he connects you with the latest stories, updates, and projects from the Leap Motion community. Twitter: @alexcolgan