Wrist Device Makes Controlling Gadgets a Snap [Video]

Microsoft's wrist sensor controls smart phones, video games and other electronics via hand and finger gestures

Microsoft Kinect technology allows players to launch a virtual machine football or skateboarding digitally using natural movements instead of a controller. However, it can detect and interpret the movements of the whole body is quite confused about the interpretation of movements of body parts such as fingers smaller. Now Microsoft researchers are developing a wrist sensor to control video games, as well as mobile phones, tablets, computers and televisions, a flick of the wrist or snap.

As the site handles Spider-Man, the aptly named straps numbers inside of the wrist. To follow the movement of the hand, which uses an infrared (IR) camera, laser, light emitting diode (LED) and an inertial measurement unit. The laser projects a line of IR through the inside of the hand, which cut the fingers and thumb as they bend inwardly and mark the distance. As a firm hand, the laser crosses fingers near the palm and measures were also recorded.

Triangulate the position of the points of the camera, laser and various hand on the laser strikes the device can reconstruct a virtual hand that mimics the movement of the hand wearing the device of figures, within 0, 1 mm. This virtual hand appears on the screen when the user uses a mobile phone or any other device (see the video below, courtesy of Microsoft Research).

Figures A user can control various characteristics of mobile devices, for example, changing mp3 files to mimic the turn of a dial, adjust the volume by moving your hand up and down to manipulate a cursor invisible, or a response phone calls with a gesture thumbs up without even removing devices in a pocket or bag.

The researchers' goal is to achieve a level of fidelity that captures the full dexterity of the human hand, which allows fine-grained interactions with individual electrical finger, says David Kim, a researcher at the Sensors Research Microsoft and Devices Group. * Kim, also a member of Group Interaction Laboratory Digital Culture at the University of Newcastle, and his colleagues presented the research last week figures ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts

"This is the body worn and can be taken anywhere," says Kim. "So it might be interacting in the physical world, working, cooking or reading, and then spontaneously interact with virtual content when you want it."

Researchers began working on the numbers in January, the construction of a working version for the next month, which could serve as base and a more comprehensive model in April. They attribute their ability to become a prototype so quickly to his experience working on other projects, including the user interface and natural KinectFusion Holodesk.

Although the prototype is too big and bulky to carry around all the time, say the researchers, it is possible to reduce the size of the numbers to see the size. The main challenge for the miniaturization of the device 125-grams of the size of a wristwatch using smaller components, the housing of the web camera, laser and LED. The researchers made the last housing prototype using a 3-D printer, which means creating a new one can be done quickly and cheaply. The miniaturization of components depend on others to find a small laser and LED market. Investigators are also studying the possibility of a pop version of the device lies flat on the wrist when not in use. This will probably require the development of custom components.

In addition, researchers have extended the range of motion of the hand that can capture numbers. "For the moment we can not cover the entire range of motion," admits Kim. "If you stretch your fingers and stretch too far behind the laser does not illuminate the scope, meaning that the infrared camera would not be able to see them. A workaround for this would be to have a second set of components at the back of the wrist to cover the whole movement of the fingers. "In the prototype, a finger can also hide the other fingers blocking the view of the laser and camera, says Otmar Hilliges, also a researcher at Microsoft Research Sensors and Devices Group. *

It is also unclear whether the numbers work correctly in the sun or sunlight can interfere with the IR laser-Microsoft has not tested this scenario. Given the frequency with smartphones and other devices used in daylight and other limitations of the technology, it may be some time before the hand signals are de facto control of the movement of wireless devices.