gesture recognition - technical definition

(1) The ability of a computer or electronic device to interpret handwritten check marks, slashes and other shorthand symbols as commands and annotations. Gestures may also be predefined motions on a multitouch screen. Gesture recognition is found on PDAs and tablet PCs. See multitouch.

(2) The ability to recognize hand signals. In 1998, Toshiba introduced a device that uses infrared light reflected from a user's hand to sense its motion.