Singapore: Working on a computer would soon become much easier. A company is turning natural hand movements into a sleek new way to work on it. The technology is likely to help people who suffer from repetitive stress injuries.

The technique would do away with moving the hand back and forth from the keyboard to the mouse.

A report in the 'Wired news' said the company "FingerWorks of Newark" has developed a technology that turns hand gestures into some of the most common computing tasks, like opening files. A high- ranking official of the company was quoted as saying that "we think of a gesture-based language for communicating with and interacting with computers."

The company sells two types of products -- iGesture and TouchStream. The iGesture pad is about the size of a standard mouse pad, while the TouchStream keyboard functions like a regular keyboard. It also incorporates the same gesture-sensing technology, eliminating the need for a mouse.

Company sources say that to open a file, a user would rotate a hand as if to open a jar. Closing a file requires the opposite rotation. To cut a piece of text, pinch the fingers together, and to paste, flick them outward. To zoom in, expand all five fingers, and contract the hand to zoom out, they say.

By using the technique, MultiTouch, one doesn't put the load on one finger like one does would with a mouse. Those using this method eliminate the wrist extension problem. The technology eliminates the force and results in a less awkward hand posture.

ANI