How to change channel by simply waving your hand: The new web cam that could kill off remote controls

They have a nasty habit of disappearing under sofas or inside drawers.

But the days of arguing over who had the remote control last could be over.

Scientists have invented technology that allows people to interact with their TV with a wave of a hand.

It means viewers could soon be changing channels or the volume on their sets similar to the way Tom Cruise's character uses a computer in the futuristic thriller Minority Report.

The 'gesture interface technology' was developed at electronic giant Toshiba's laboratory in Cambridge.

It has already gone on show at the world's biggest electronics trade fair, the Internationale Funkausstellung, in Berlin this week.

The system combines a webcam - familiar to millions of computer users who want to see and be seen by other people online - with gesture recognition software.

Uses include raising a hand in a 'stop' sign to pause the action on TV. Flapping a hand up or down can raise or lower the volume.

The technology could in future be customised to suit people's preferences.

Touching your right ear, for example, would increase the volume, while touching your left ear would lower it.

The software could also recognise viewers as they walk into a room and switch automatically to their favourite channel - potentially triggering new disputes over who gets priority.

The system can also be used with PCs and other computers.

The user makes a fist and waves it around the air as if controlling a computer mouse. The thumb is simply raised to perform a 'mouse click'.

Toshiba said the gesture recognition system was already extremely accurate as it responded to the shape, colour and motion of hands.

But the technology is being further fine-tuned to differentiate between someone making a control movement and stretching or sneezing.

The company believes it could be available on the market within five years, although it is not yet saying how much it will cost.

Dr Kate Knill, manager of interaction technology at the Cambridge lab, said the system could revolutionise the way humans interact with technology.

'I imagine devices having much more interactive interfaces rather than just a keyboard or remote control - you'll be able to use gesture and speech as well,' she said.

'We have a vision of communicating with devices where you want, when you want and how you want.

'Technology is going to become more and more accessible and much less scary for everyday users.'

Tom Wiggins, news editor of gadget magazine Stuff, said the possibilities of the new technology were fascinating.

'If they can get it to work quickly and efficiently by just waving your arms that would be pretty good,' he said.

But he added it wouldn't be suitable for everyone.

'This is the kind of technology where some people think "wow" and others just aren't that excited,' he said.

'Some people really like having something tactile like a mouse under their fingers to work with.'

In Minority Report, Cruise plays Chief John Anderton, an officer with a special police department called Precrime in the year 2054.

His job is to arrest people before they have committed murder with the help of predictions from three psychics, known as precogs.

Broken images of the 'crime' are transferred from the precogs' minds to a display screen.

Anderson uses hand movements to manipulate the images - such as magnifying them - to establish how and when the murders will occur.