The next computer interface: your finger

ZDNet ^ | July 29, 2006 | Roland Piquepaille

[annie laurie]

A new haptic device will be shown at the next SIGGRAPH. This virtual reality system, the Fingertip Digitizer, has been developed at the University of Buffalo (UB). It will interpret your hand gestures and will translate them for your PC, medical devices or computer games. According to one developer, the Fingertip Digitizer "will help bridge the gap between what a person knows and what a computer knows" and a commercial version should be available within 3 years. Read more…

Here is the introduction about this new device developed at UB Virtual Reality Laboratory.

UB researchers say their "Fingertip Digitizer," which users wear on the tip of the index finger, can transfer to the virtual world the meaning and intent of common hand gestures, such as pointing, wagging the finger, tapping in the air or other movements that can be used to direct the actions of an electronic device, much like a mouse directs the actions of a personal computer, but with greater precision.

What's more, the Fingertip Digitizer can transfer to personal computers very precise information about the physical characteristics of an object — and even can sense the shape and size of a human gland or tumor — when a user taps, scratches, squeezes, strokes or glides a finger over the surface of the object.

What will be able to do with this new human computer interface?

"With this device a computer, cell phone or computer game could read human intention more naturally," explains Thenkurussi Kesavadas (a.k.a. kesh)[, director of UB's Virtual Reality Lab]. "Eventually the Fingertip Digitizer may be used as a high-end substitute for a mouse, a keyboard or a joystick."

Kesavadas and Young-Seok Kim will present the device at SIGGRAPH 2006, which will be held between July 30 and August 3 in Boston, Massachusetts. Here is a link to a page about the Fingertip Digitizer, Applying Haptics and Biomechanics to Tactile Input Technology. The top image of this post comes from this page, which also gives additional details.

Human finger activity represents tremendous potential in digital-interaction technologies. Because this free-hand touch technology does not require a screen, it will significantly change the conventional input paradigm for many manual tasks in art, medicine, and industrial operations. For example, this free-hand, direct finger-touch technology a promising alternative to existing stylus-based or probe-based interfaces, such as the computer mouse and medical diagnostic systems.

Here is afinal quote from the researchers about the use of this device as a computer game accessory.

With the device attached to the fingertip, the user simply would gesture in the air as he looks at a computer screen where a software program or computer game may be running. In this way, the user can direct the opening or moving of an electronic file, for example. Using the device as a computer-game accessory, the user could imitate the squeezing of a trigger or the stroking of pool cue, for example, say Kim and Kesavadas.

If you attend SIGGRAPH, please try this new haptic device and tell me if you enjoyed it. Finally, here is a link to a SIGGRAPH 2006 news release describing some of the other devices that will be introduced during the conference.

Sources: University of Buffalo news release, July 27, 2006; and various web sites

[annie laurie]

Pics available at the above link.

[annie laurie]

Ping

[afnamvet]

With the device attached to the fingertip, the user simply would gesture in the air as he looks at a computer screen where a software program or computer game may be running.

I quite frequently, without the fingertip device, gesture at my computer with my middle finger. I know I'm not alone here.

[thoughtomator]

I was going to say, I already use a finger to communicate with my computer.

[AntiGuv]

FutureTechPing!

An emergent technologies list covering biomedical research, fusion power, nanotech, AI robotics, and other related fields. FReepmail to join or drop.

[anymouse]

[Reaganesque]

When using this device, it's really, really important to resist the urge to pick your nose.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

• Can't see from the article how this thing is operating - is it optical?

• For all that speech processing software has improved, it still can't understand human speech remotely as well as you or I can do it. That is potentially far more important than any form of pointing, IMHO. And the difficulty of it makes me wonder just how facile you can make a computer at understanding hand gestures. But of course, there are people who cannot speak (e.g., most everyone under the age of 2), so there is potential there . . .

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

• Head gesture, in the form of optically tracked movement of a point on the head (or for that matter, a finger), is already useful for cursor control.

[balrog666]

Excuse me while I scratch ... oops!

[ADemocratNoMore]

On the other hand (pardon the pun), I really really want one of these...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89sz8ExZndc

"Crazy Multi-Input Touch Screen"

Its also something that could be potentially homebrewed. As I recall, it was built at MIT's MediaLab and uses a conventional display with a Plexiglas overlay that has an array of IR sensors at the edges to read the position of the fingers. Reet Neet!.