THE future of computers is not touch screens as they are seen as old hat now. The future is computers you don’t need to touch at all.

Leap Motion (www.leapmotion.com) is a new low-cost gadget that lets you glimpse that future with your existing computer.

It doesn’t look like much: a tiny rectangular box that plugs into your computer’s USB port and sits on the desk just in front of your keyboard and screen.

What’s important is the empty space above the Leap. That’s where you can wave your hands or wiggle your fingers, and watch as your gestures are translated into movement on screen.

For such a tiny box it packs quite a punch and has been designed to work the way people do. It can “see” a wide area above itself, turning all the empty space between you and the computer into a control environment.

The downsides are that Leap needs special software to work with. The demo apps look great, but there aren’t many of them yet. Leap has its own online store where you can buy apps. Another criticism is that holding your hands up in mid-air can be tiring or even painful for some.

Even so, Leap is a fascinating look at what’s possible. If it’s successful we might see similar technology appearing inside tablets and laptops, embedded behind screens or under keyboards.

Some people have already started making Leap-compatible web browsing software.

Imagine being able to browse with your fingers, pointing at links you want to click, flicking your way from page to page. The web itself might start to look different, once people reach out and touch it.