Bracelet Lets Wearers Control Computers with Gestures [video]

Posted by Heartmind Technology Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

(TechNewsDaily) If Bluetooth earpiece users look strange, seemingly talking to the air, wait until motion-control bracelets come to market.

One international group of digital researchers is working toward that arm-flailing future. They’ve created a wrist-worn device, called Digits, that allows wearers to control video games, computers, smartphones and other devices with hand and finger gestures. The wrist strap doesn’t require a touch screen or any outside sensors, so users don’t need to be within the line of sight of a system such as the Microsoft Kinect, which uses a camera to track users in the room.

It’s still too bulky for common use, but its creators imagine that their research eventually could lead to a bracelet people wear constantly, allowing them to play with their phones and tablets without taking the devices out of their pockets.

“The Digits sensor doesn’t rely on external infrastructure, which means users are not bound to a fixed space. They can interact while moving from room to room or running down the street,” doctoral student David Kim said in a Microsoft Research release. Kim studies at Newcastle University and Microsoft Research in the United Kingdom. “This finally takes 3D interaction outside the living room,” he said.

Read the full article