Body-Coupled Sensor Arrays for Gesture Input
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small computing devices have limited interaction mechanisms due to their compact size, making them less usable and functional, as enlarging buttons and screens would compromise their portability.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing the human body as an input mechanism by coupling a sensor set to the body, such as an armband with arrays of sensors, to detect mechanical energy from gestures and process the data for input purposes, allowing the body to function as a large interactive surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the device size is reduced to improve portability, then the device can be easily carried, but the interaction mechanisms (buttons, screens) become small and limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the interaction space from the device itself to the user's body by detecting gestures and movements in three-dimensional space. Sensors detect mechanical energy from body movements, allowing the user to interact with the device through full-body gestures rather than being constrained to small on-device controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sensors as an intermediary between the user's body movements and the device's response. These sensors detect mechanical energy from gestures and convert them into actionable input signals, mediating the interaction between the user and the device without requiring physical buttons or screens.
2Ease of operation
If buttons and screens are enlarged to improve usability, then interaction becomes easier, but the device size increases and portability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the interaction interface from the two-dimensional constraint of device screens to the three-dimensional space of body movements. Users can perform gestures in space that are detected by sensors, effectively creating a virtual interaction space that is not limited by device dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the user's own body as the input mechanism, leveraging their natural movements and gestures. The body serves its dual purpose of both controlling the device and providing the interaction surface, eliminating the need for separate physical controls.
3Area of stationary object
If a table surface is used for gestural input to increase interaction area, then more gestures are possible, but the system requires an external surface that is not always available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the user's body the input surface, which is always available and requires no external support. The body naturally provides a large surface area for gesture detection, and this resource is carried with the user everywhere, eliminating dependency on environmental surfaces like tables.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal input system that works in any environment without requiring specific external surfaces. The body-based gesture recognition can be performed anywhere, making the interaction system adaptable to all situations whether the user is at a desk, walking, or in transit.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and accurate data input without the need for additional surfaces, leveraging the body's surface area and proprioception for intuitive and eyes-free interaction, suitable for various devices like mobile phones and computers.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor set detects mechanical energy resulting from an action (a gesture) performed by the body
Implementation Method 2
The sensor set detects transverse waves and longitudinal waves at a plurality of frequencies, with each sensor associated with a resonant frequency
Data Source
AI summary
Described is using the human body as an input mechanism to a computing device. A sensor set is coupled to part of a human body. The sensor set detects mechanical (e.g., bio-acoustic) energy transmitted through the body as a result of an action/performed by the body, such as a user finger tap or flick. The sensor output data (e.g., signals) are processed to determine what action was taken. For example, the gesture may be a finger tap, and the output data may indicate which finger was tapped, what surface the finger was tapped on, or where on the body the finger was tapped.