Sonar technology to help interact with devices
Posted on: 17/Mar/2016 3:01:23 PM
A new sonar technology that allows the user to interact with mobile devices through gesturing or writing has been developed by researchers at the University of Washington. The interaction can be on a table top, a sheet of paper or even in mid air.
The researchers have developed an app called FingerIO, which tracks the finger movements by using an active sonar system through a smartphone or smartwatch. This can be done using the device`s microphones and speakers. Sound waves can travel through fabric and do not need a line of sight. So, the users can interact with the device when it is in a front pocket or hidden under a sleeve.
Say the researchers, FingerIO (can) accurately track two-dimensional finger movements to within 8mm, which is sufficiently accurate to interact with today`s mobile devices. You can`t type very easily onto a smartwatch display, so we wanted to transform a desk or any area around a device into an input surface. I don`t need to instrument my fingers with any other sensors - I just use my finger to write something on a desk or any other surface and the device can track it with high resolution. Using sound waves to track finger motion offers several advantages over cameras and other technologies like radar that require both custom sensor hardware and greater computing power. Acoustic signals are great - because sound waves travel much slower than the radio waves used in radar, you don`t need as much processing and width so everything is simpler.
