Turn Any Surface into a TouchScreen with New
Technology
Scientists
have developed a new technology that can enable you to turn almost any surface
into a touchscreen with just a wave of your hand! Researchers at Carnegie
Mellon University have demonstrated that touch-based interfaces can be created
anywhere almost at will. Scientists previously have shown that a depth camera system,
such as Kinect, can be combined with a projector to turn almost any surface
into a touchscreen.
The
WorldKit system enables someone to rub the arm of a sofa to “paint” a remote
control for TV or swipe a hand across an office door to post calendar from
which subsequent users can “pull down” an extended version. These ad hoc
interfaces can be moved, modified or deleted with similar gestures, making them
highly personalised. Researchers at the university’s Human-Computer Interaction
Institute (HCII) used a ceiling-mounted camera and projector to record room
geometries, sense hand gestures and project images on desired surfaces.
However,
Robert Xiao, an HCII doctoral student, said WorldKit does not require such an
elaborate installation. “Depth sensors are getting better and projectors just
keep getting smaller,” he said. “We envision an interactive ‘light bulb’ – a
miniaturised device that could be screwed into an ordinary light fixture and
pointed or moved to wherever an interface is needed,” he said.
The
system does not require prior calibration, automatically adjusting its sensing
and image projection to the orientation of the chosen surface. Users can summon
switches, message boards, indicator lights and a variety of other interface
designs from a menu. Ultimately, the WorldKit team anticipates that users will
be able to custom design interfaces with gestures. The findings will be
presented at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, in Paris.
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