News
Gesture control technology that
can turn everyday objects into
remote controls
Researchers from Lancaster University
have come up with a new gesture
control technology that can turn everyday
objects into remote controls by
allowing body movement, or movement
of objects, to be used to interact with
screens – dramatically changing how
we interact with televisions, and other
screens. The research is detailed in a
paper titled: ‘Matchpoint: Spontaneous
spatial coupling of body movement for
touchless pointing.’
The ‘Matchpoint’ technology, which
only requires a simple webcam, works
by displaying moving targets that orbit
a small circular widget in the corner of
the screen. These targets correspond
to different functions – such as volume,
changing channel or viewing a menu. The
user synchronises the direction of movement
of the target, with their hand, head
or an object, to achieve what researchers
call ‘spontaneous spatial coupling’ –
which activates the desired function.
Currently, existing gesture control
software looks for a specific body part it
has been trained to identify – such as a
hand. Lancaster’s technology looks for
rotating movement so it doesn’t require
calibration, or the software to have prior
knowledge of objects. This provides
much more flexibility and ease for the
user as it works even while hands are full,
and while stood or slouching on the sofa.
Users also do not need to learn
specific commands to activate different
functions, as is the case with some gesture
controlled televisions on the market,
and the user is able to decouple at will.
When selecting volume adjustment
or channel selection, sliders appear. The
user moves their hand, head, or object,
in the required direction indicated by the
slider to change the volume or to find
the desired channel. The technology
can also be used with other screens.
For example, YouTube tutorials, such as
mending bikes or baking cakes, could
be easily paused and rewound on tablet
computers without users having to put
down tools or mixing bowls.
Multiple pointers can be created
to allow more than one user to point
at drawings or pictures on interactive
whiteboards simultaneously. Matchpoint
This image shows targets in the
corner of a TV screen. Each target rotates
around its corresponding function.
The user matches the rotational
movement with any object, or part of
their body, to create a coupling and
active the control. Image courtesy of
Lancaster University.
also allows users to manipulate images
on whiteboards by using two hands to
zoom in and out, and rotate images.
In addition to short-term couplings,
users can also link stationary objects
to controls, which even when left for
prolonged periods will retain their control
function. For example, a mug sat on a
table could change a track on a music
player when moved left or right, and a
rolling toy car could be used to adjust
volume. Objects can lose their coupling
with controls simply by removing them
from the camera’s field of view.
Christopher Clarke, PhD student at
Lancaster University’s School of Computing
and Communications, and developer
of the technology, said: “Spontaneous
spatial coupling is a new approach
to gesture control that works by matching
movement instead of asking the
computer to recognise a specific object.
“Everyday objects in the house can
now easily become remote controls.”
Researchers believe Matchpoint is
also suitable to be used as an accessibility
tool for people who are unable to
use traditional pointers, such as remote
controls and a mouse and keyboard.
The researchers on the paper are
Christopher Clarke and Professor Hans
Gellersen, both of Lancaster University’s
School of Computing and Communications.
www.lancs.ac.uk
TUV Rheinland expands
wireless test
TUV Rheinland is expanding its global
involvement in the field of wireless communication
technologies by acquiring
4ffCom, a telecommunications company
based in Bochum that specializes in wireless
testing services for industrial companies
and companies in various sectors,
such as entertainment electronics, the
automotive sector and medicine.
Further, 4ffCom also develops its own
test systems in the area of mobile and
short-range wireless communications.
“With the integration of 4ffCom, we are
now able to offer our customers their own
fully automated testing solutions, also
known as comprehensive testing environments
(CTE). Furthermore, these solutions
can be easily tailored to the needs
of the product manufacturer concerned.
This new option allows us to offer tailored
CTE systems and highlights our customer
focus while strengthening our position
in the global IoT market in the long run,”
explained Stefan Kischka, Vice President
Wireless/Internet of Things at TUV
Rheinland.
www.tuv.com/en/wireless-iot
Synthetic aperture radar
hits double digit growth
RnRMarketResearch predicts that the
synthetic aperture radar market is forecast
to reach $4.21 billion by 2022 from
$2.41 billion in 2017 at a CAGR of 11.75
percent over the 2017 to 2022 period.
The market is being driven by the growing
demand for technologies providing
situational awareness, increasing
deployment of space-based radars, and
geopolitical instabilities in the Asia Pacific
and the Middle East.
North America is estimated to account
for the largest share of the synthetic aperture
radar market in 2017 while the Asia
Pacific synthetic aperture radar market is
projected to grow at the highest CAGR
during the forecast period. Major factors
that are expected to drive the North America
synthetic aperture radar market include
an increase in the demand for surveillance
systems and radars since the US military
is in the process of replacing its legacy
systems of more than three decades with
advanced synthetic aperture radars.
www.rnrmarketresearch.com
10 MW November - December 2017 www.mwee.com
