Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have demonstrated how touch-screen interfaces incorporating depth cameras and projectors can be created 'almost at will, with the wave of a hand'.
CMU’s WorldKit system enables someone to rub the arm of a sofa to 'paint' a remote control for a TV or swipe a hand across an office door to post a calendar – from which subsequent users can 'pull down' an extended version. These ad hoc interfaces can be moved, modified or deleted with similar gestures, making them highly personalised.
Researchers at the university’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) used a ceiling-mounted camera and projector to record room geometries, sense hand gestures and project images on desired surfaces.
Robert Xiao, an HCII doctoral student, explained that WorldKit does not require such an elaborate installation: 'Depth sensors are getting better and projectors just keep getting smaller. We envision an interactive "light bulb" – a miniaturised device that could be screwed into an ordinary light fixture and pointed or moved to wherever an interface is needed.'
The system does not require prior calibration, automatically adjusting its sensing and image projection to the orientation of the chosen surface. Users can summon switches, message boards, indicator lights and a variety of other interface designs from a menu. Ultimately, the WorldKit team anticipates that users will be able to custom design interfaces with gestures.
Though WorldKit now focuses on interacting with surfaces, the researchers anticipate future work may enable users to interact with the system in free space. Likewise, higher-resolution depth cameras may someday enable the system to sense detailed finger gestures. In addition to gestures, the system also could be designed to respond to voice commands.
