The point is that it’s contactless. (Photo: Gesturetek.)

From my Boston Globe column this week, another step toward into the “contactless” future.

Humans hardly touch each other as it is. (We’re being taught that touching is a “high-risk” behavior.) Machines have become an intermediary.

Now, you don’t have to touch the machine:

Think Minority Report: A new device from Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Gesturetek lets you point at any screen to manipulate images and objects, just as Tom Cruise did in the mesmerizing film adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story.

Gesturetek’s AirPoint System requires no tracking glove or remote control, as many tracking systems do. The company envisions its camera-based technology in hands-free (and thus germ-free) ATMs, and other contactless applications.

Also: Zoombak will track your wayward pooch with a combination of GPS and cell tower proximity readings–said to be better than using either technique on its own.

Zoombak alerts you when its water-resistant gadget, hanging from your dog’s collar, crosses over the boundaries you designate around your home. The service signals you via text message or e-mail of the escape.

Zoombak also offers a slightly more expensive car locator kit for tracking teens and the other high-risk drivers in your family.