Say goodbye to your TV remote — how interactive gestures and AI could reshape the way we watch

(Image credit: EyeSight Technologies)

Smart TVs are everywhere, but there’s a problem: They’re not getting smarter.

For the most part, the pastime of watching TV hasn’t evolved in quite some time. For one thing, you still have to pick up a remote control for just about any task. Some TVs offer voice controls, but they’re limited in their application.

And, despite advancements in AI across neighboring industries, TV makers still seem unsure about how to implement it. But that hasn’t stopped them from forcing AI into their TV lineups.

Sensors, not cameras

As a concept, controlling a TV with hand gestures has been around for years. In fact, one of the first declarations of "TVs without remotes" goes all the way back to CES 2010.

But the concept has stagnated, in part because of privacy concerns. After all, who wants to plug a camera into their TV?

There may be a way around this obstacle. While very few TVs these days come equipped with a camera, most of them have sensors for automatic, dynamic adjustments to the picture. Could additional sensors — not cameras — be the key to truly hands-free viewing?

Man wearing Apple Vision Pro — (Image credit: Future)

Just look at the Apple Vision Pro. It’s obviously much different than a TV, but its implementation of hand gestures (made possible by a sophisticated suite of sensors) is so fluid that you’re liable to forget you’re even using them.

It would take some incredible engineering for technology like this to find its way into modern TVs, but given how newer displays are using advanced sensors already, it feels like the next logical step.

Smarter AI can take us even further

LG TV with voice controls — (Image credit: LG)

Wouldn't it be nice if your TV could remember your viewing habits, like what you enjoy watching and when you usually watch those shows?

For instance, I usually throw on an episode of “Unsolved Mysteries” while cleaning the house or when I do yoga at around 7 a.m. If my TV could leverage smarter AI to remember my daily routine, it could have the next episode ready to go before I even ask.

Broadly speaking, smarter AI concepts could change the role that TVs play in our homes. Samsung's already exploring this territory with SmartThings, which syncs an array of smart home gadgets together as they follow a daily routine.

I'm not looking for a "Minority Report"-level experience from our TVs. But at the very least, I hope we’re on the verge of evolving beyond the humble remote control (which I always find myself losing somehow).

Ryan Epps is a Staff Writer under the TV/AV section at Tom's Guide focusing on TVs and projectors. When not researching PHOLEDs and writing about the next major innovation in the projector space, he's consuming random anime from the 90's, playing Dark Souls 3 again, or reading yet another Haruki Murakami novel.