From virtual trial rooms to touch-less restaurant menus, Gesture Research is making touch less a reality for all
Saturday June 08, 2013 , 3 min Read
Gesture Research (GR) is a startup that works on Natural User Interface (NUI) making intelligent touch less devices that can understand hand gestures and voice. “With the help of Gesture Recognition technology, we create a magical experience by communicating with computers with a wave of hands,” shares Munish Dhiman, the founder of the Gurgaon based firm.
Childhood dream turned entrepreneurship idea
“Since my childhood days, I was fascinated with magic and enthralled at the very idea of getting things done with wave of hands,” says Munish. Au fait with technology after his engineering degree and a stint with tech behemoth Microsoft lead him to startup on his own. Munish worked with the R&D team of Microsoft and learned the niche skills required for such kind of technology. He also credits his fondness for gaming with Xbox 360 for understanding the technology. Kinect, a motion sensing input device developed by Microsoft, is the life blood of the products developed by GR. Besides Gesture Research, Munish has one more company, e-inqwest to his name. Gesture Research was launched in April 2012 and is based in Gurgaon.
Munish has devised a pod for the retail apparel sector. Customers can view the catalog of products on the pod with a wave of hand and check their appearances on the screen with few gestures. Munish claims that the vast product portfolio and his expertise in the technology gives his firm an edge over others, when competition is catching up fast in the sector with firms like iView Labs and iLiftOff hitting the deck. Growing at a CAGR of 26.4%, the market for gesture recognition products is expected to touch 8 Billion Dollars by 2018, says Munish citing a recent research report. Munish has kept the price for his products in the range of Rs 50,000 – Rs 75,000 to keep it affordable for every sector.
The firm pitches itself through cold calls to the innovation and marketing officers of various firms promoting the technology, as well as by showcasing themselves at various expos, seminars and the recently held India Innovation Growth Program (IIGP). Munish says GR will soon break even on its capital investment and is looking for angel funding to drive the growth and innovation curve. GR has a team of five people and an advisor in Rajesh Mathur, who currently works as delivery manager with Cathay Pacific Hong Kong.
“We plan to make the technology very accurate and affordable. We want it to be billeted at every household, imperative to all the chores of business and domestic life,” envisions Munish.