Welle (pronounced vell-uh), a smart device that instantly turns any surface into a smart interface using Sonar Technology through hand gestures, has announced that it surpassed its
Kickstarter goal in the first day on the crowdfunding site.
The campaign is running at:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1781885077/1423513448?token=74255447.
Welle http://getwelle.com/ gives users the ability to use unlimited simple gestures to control devices, appliances, and apps – it even tracks finger movements and recognises handwriting. With Welle, the entire surface becomes connected to Sonar, allowing hand gestures to control smart devices, such as lights, TVs, speakers, doors, thermostats, cameras, curtain/blinds, fans; and even PowerPoint presentations, apps, and IFTTT (If this, then that) conditional task applets.
Welle works in the home, office, or anywhere with a Bluetooth connection. Users place the tiny Welle on any convenient surface or location, or mount Welle on a wall with included 3M stickers. Working as a universal remote for all kinds of IoT devices and appliances, Welle uses the most advanced Sonar-based gesture control, replacing the multiple traditional household remote controls for a convenient connected home and office experience. Welle recognises standardised gestures and also lets you assign your own gestures or handwriting short-cuts to interact with devices.
Welle means “wave” in German and Welle’s logo shows two fingers tracking human gestures with ultrasonic waves. Welle uses Sonar Technology, advanced ultrasonic signals used in the military, automotive and drone markets, that can accurately track human movements. Welle’s Sonar Technology transmits signal pulses and collects the reflected energy back from targets, identifying motions, gestures, and finger movements from the echoed signals. These echoes are translated into different instructions and words to IoT devices using an advanced hardware design and software algorithms.
Devices controlled by Welle include:
• Thermostats
• Coffee makers
• Lights
• Windows shades/curtains
• TVs
• Doors
• Speakers
• Locks
• Humidifiers
• Fans/air conditioners
• Outlets
• Garage doors
• Robot arms
• PowerPoint presentations
• Creates custom gestures
• Assigns short-cuts throughout handwriting recognition or gestures (i.e. “C” for “make coffee”)
• Changes volume and tracks when listening to music
• Connects with IFTTT
• Tiny size, weighing just 3.5 ounces, with measurements of 2.97” x 1.38” x 0.64”
Welle provides an open API (Application Programming Interface) for software and hardware developers to redefine gestures, creating new possibilities for controlling devices and apps. Welle features a well-designed API, readable documents, example codes, and a developer community with full support.