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Data Glove That Turns Gestures Into Commands

Posted by timothy on from the gestures-as-commands-are-always-tempting dept.

ravidew writes: "Three students at Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center, University of California, have built a motion-sensing glove that can transmit hand gestures to a PC. Within 3 years they hope to build sensors that are no bigger than 1mm and can be glued to each fingernail. Now you can really tell Windows what you think ..." While you're at the Sensor and Actuator Center, check out Kris Pister's smart dust.

1 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Been there, done that, love it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    I did the same thing at UIUC back in '97...

    I used dual 3-axis accelerometers for the hand motion, and discrete switches to determine
    finger joint position. The wires were sewn into the glove directly.

    The result was very accurate hand movement, with the trade off of less complex finger movements.

    Needless to say, I like the idea. It is a _very_ natural interface for a lot of applications. The glove is a little unwieldy, but for some reason beyond comprehension, everyone who does this seems to build theirs around the heaviest winter glove they can find... What someone needs to do is to build this using discreet sealed components, on the outside of thin, air-holed neoprene (similar to a bicyclist's glove.)

    Also, the software is the key to whether this really works out. You need a virtual keyboard app (similar to what pen laptops use), plus a gesture pad (a la grafitti or CAD gestures), plus a standard mouse driver. (I never got around to polshing my software beyond anywhere other than manipulating a Rubik's-style 3D Cube. No, you couldn't acutally solve it.)