A wrist-worn sensor that creates 3D-models of the
user's hand movements in real-time has been built by Microsoft.
Digits uses "low-power" components to track a wide variety of hand gestures in real-time |
The
Digits prototype is part of an effort to create a mobile device that would
allow its owner to control a range of equipment using hand gestures.
The
firm said it could be used as a virtual TV control, a way to operate a
smartphone while it is in the user's pocket, and to play video games.
It
is designed to be less cumbersome and uncomfortable than sensor gloves.
However,
some experts question whether consumers would want to wear such a device during
their day-to-day activities.
Infrared
laser
The Digits sensor was developed at Microsoft's computer science
laboratory at the University of Cambridge, with help from researchers at
Newcastle University and the University of Crete.
It
was unveiled at a conference on user-interface technology in Massachusetts, and
a video showing off the product
has been posted online.
Digits
uses a camera-based sensor that detects infrared (IR) light coupled with
software that interprets the data produced to construct a model of a
"fully articulated hand skeleton". This is then used to interpret
what the user's hand is doing.
The
equipment involves a IR laser beam which sends out a thin line across the
user's hand to measure the distance to their fingers and thumbs to determine to
what degree they are bent upwards.
The device uses two types of infrared light to workout what shape the hand is making |
In addition a ring of IR light emitting diodes (LEDs) are used to illuminate the hand and determine the position of the user's fingertips.
IR light is used because it is
invisible to the human eye and so not a distraction.
"The Digits sensor doesn't rely
on external infrastructure which means users are not bound to a fixed
space," said project leader David Kim.
"They can interact while moving
from room to room or running down the street."
He added that the prototype had been
built using existing off-the-shelf components, but there was scope to improve
the equipment with customised parts.
"Ultimately we would like to
reduce Digits to the size of a watch that can be worn all the time," he
said.
"We want users to be able to
interact spontaneously with their electronic devices using simple gestures and
not even have to reach for their devices."
3D gestures
Suggested uses for the equipment
include:
·
Twisting an imaginary dial to raise
the volume of music playing from a radio or TV.
·
A user tapping one of their fingers
at a make-believe number pad in front of their face to dial a number on a
smartphone without having to take it out of their pocket.
·
Playing video games without a
controller. For instance a player could use their hand as a virtual gun,
pointing a finger out to resemble a weapon's barrel and pressing down their
thumb to fire a shot. This goes beyond what current gaming sensors can detect.
·
3D-gesture controls for tablet
computers. For example, by clenching their fist a user could zoom into an
image, while opening their palm would reverse the move.
The team suggested an advantage of
its device over other gesture sensors was that it could be used with a variety
of devices across the day.
Microsoft says Digits offers the accuracy of glove-based sensors but is more practical |
But
another gesture tech researcher suggested that consumers would prefer sensors
to be built into the relevant gadgets, avoiding the need to wear equipment.
"This
portable, mobile solution is an interesting development with potential for
novel applications," Dr Richard Picking, reader in human-computer
interaction at Glyndwr University, told the BBC.
"However,
similar innovations, such as data-glove technologies have failed to find
mainstream application domains outside the computer games industry, and this
may be also prove to be the case for Digits.
"It's
not clear how reliable the technology is: how accurately does the camera need
to be calibrated? What happens if it gets knocked about, or inadvertently
moved? how comfortable is it?
"Also,
this device doesn't support tactile feedback, as is the case for some
data-gloves."
Microsoft suggested users could shape their hand to resemble a gun to play first-person shooter games |
Microsoft's
team acknowledged the current device was still some way from being ready for
market.
It
currently needs to be attached to a PC to carry out the necessary computations,
making it impractical for real-world use.
It
also struggles if two fingers are crossed, the hand is flattened or if the user
is holding something while making the gestures.
However,
the researchers suggested all these issues could be overcome with further work.
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