Hybrid Touchless Control Mechanism for Hygienic Makeup Kiosk Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a touchless control mechanism to navigate user interfaces, particularly in shared electronic devices, to minimize direct contact and adhere to social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in public spaces like makeup kiosks where high-touch surfaces are prevalent.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid touchless control mechanism using a computing device that captures live video of a user, determines the location of their hand and finger vector type relative to their facial region, and responds by displaying a makeup effects toolbar and selection tool, allowing users to apply virtual makeup effects without direct contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional touchscreen interface is used, then ease of operation is improved, but hygiene is worsened due to direct contact with high-touch surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical touchscreen interface with a gesture recognition system using camera-based hand tracking. Users interact with the interface through hand gestures captured by the camera, eliminating the need for physical contact with the touchscreen surface while maintaining intuitive control for navigating and applying makeup effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary gesture recognition system between the user and the touchscreen interface. The camera captures hand gestures, the processor interprets these gestures as control commands, and translates them into interface interactions, serving as a hygienic mediator that prevents direct contact while enabling full interface functionality.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If touchless control mechanism is implemented, then hygiene is improved, but device complexity is worsened due to additional camera and gesture recognition processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the existing camera component multi-functional by using it for both its original purpose (capturing video or images) and for gesture recognition. The same camera hardware processes visual data for both photography/videography and hand gesture tracking, eliminating the need for separate sensors or cameras and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the gesture recognition processing with the existing image processing pipeline of the device. The processor that handles camera data for photography also processes this same data stream for gesture recognition, combining multiple functions into a single processing workflow and reducing the need for separate hardware or software systems.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If gesture recognition is used for interface navigation, then contactless interaction is improved, but measurement precision is worsened compared to direct touchscreen input
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors hand gesture position and provides real-time visual feedback on the interface. The camera tracks hand movement with high precision, and the interface responds dynamically to gesture position, allowing users to make fine adjustments and achieve precise selections through iterative feedback loops rather than single-shot input.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the gesture recognition into multiple processing stages: hand detection, finger identification, gesture classification, and command translation. This segmentation allows each stage to optimize for its specific task, with algorithms tailored to detect hand contours, identify individual fingers, classify gesture types, and map them to interface commands, thereby achieving high overall precision through specialized sub-processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device captures a live video of a user, determines a location of a facial region of the user by a facial region analyzer, and determines a finger vector type by a finger vector detector based on a direction in which at least one finger is pointing relative to the facial region of the user. Responsive to detecting a first finger vector type within the facial region involving a single finger, a makeup effects toolbar is displayed in the user interface. Responsive to detecting a second finger vector type involving the single finger, a selection tool for selecting a makeup effect in the makeup effects toolbar is displayed. The computing device obtains a makeup effect based on manipulation by the user of the selection tool. Responsive to detecting a target user action, virtual application of the selected makeup effect is performed on the facial region of the user.