Optical Gesture Control System for Intuitive Cursor Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing input devices for computer systems, such as mice, are not intuitive and require unnatural motions, especially on large displays, and previous gesture-based solutions like input gloves are restrictive and power-dependent.
Innovation Solution
A gesture-based control system that uses cameras to detect hand positions, orientations, and movements, translating them into executable commands for interacting with on-screen elements, allowing for natural and intuitive navigation and control using a vocabulary of gestures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a mouse or physical input device is used, then the user can control the cursor and interact with the computer system, but the input device requires unnatural motions and is not intuitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical input device (mouse, keyboard) with an optical gesture recognition system. Cameras capture hand movements and the system translates these gestures into cursor control commands, eliminating the need for physical pointing devices and providing more intuitive control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy of the user's hand movements captured by cameras and translates them into cursor positions on the display. This allows the cursor to follow hand gestures naturally without requiring a physical intermediary device.
2Speed
If a mouse is used to translate the cursor across a large display, then the cursor can be positioned, but the user must lift and replace the mouse which is a wasted and unnatural motion
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical mouse movement system with an optical gesture tracking system that can detect and translate hand movements across the entire display area without requiring the user to physically move or reposition a device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds the dimension of spatial gesture recognition, allowing cursor control through hand movements in three-dimensional space rather than confined to the two-dimensional mouse surface, enabling natural navigation across large displays.
3Ease of operation
If wireless input gloves are used for gesture control, then the user has freedom of motion, but the gloves require an independent power supply that must be recharged
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing sensors in the glove requiring power, the system inverts the approach by using external cameras to capture hand gestures passively, eliminating the need for powered components in the wearable device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the user's existing hand as the input device rather than requiring a powered glove. The hand's natural movements are captured optically, making the system self-powered and eliminating battery requirements.
4Use of energy by moving object
If hard-wired input gloves are used, then the gloves have no power requirements, but the user is tied to the spot and range of motion is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the power connection requirement entirely by using passive optical cameras to capture gestures. This eliminates both the power cable and the associated restriction on user movement, providing both power independence and full range of motion.
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 intuitive interaction with computer systems by allowing users to issue gestural commands, providing vivid cognitive coupling with minimal lag and supporting a wide range of gestures for controlling cursors and other on-screen elements, eliminating the need for physical input devices.
Implementation Method 1
A system of cameras can detect the position, orientation, and movement of the user's hands and translate that information into executable commands
Data Source
AI summary
The system provides a gestural interface to various visually presented elements, presented on a display screen or screens. A gestural vocabulary includes ‘instantaneous’ commands, in which forming one or both hands into the appropriate ‘pose’ results in an immediate, one-time action; and ‘spatial’ commands, in which the operator either refers directly to elements on the screen by way of literal ‘pointing’ gestures or performs navigational maneuvers by way of relative or “offset” gestures. The system contemplates the ability to identify the users hands in the form of a glove or gloves with certain indicia provided thereon, or any suitable means for providing recognizable indicia on a user's hands or body parts. A system of cameras can detect the position, orientation, and movement of the user's hands and translate that information into executable commands.