Think of it as a new form of body art. A PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute has created a new user interface for mobile devices that turns the human body into a touchpad. The idea is to use the technology as an input mechanism for mobile devices that are not big enough to include one.
The Borg-like technology, called "skinput," involves attaching acoustic sensors to the upper arm to pick up tiny vibrations created when fingers tap or flick across the skin's surface. A machine learning algorithm then interprets the input for forwarding to the target device.
The inventor, third year PhD student Chris Harrison, will present a paper on the technology at the Association for Computing Machinery's Human Factors in Computing Systems conference on April 12. Harrison released a YouTube video and information about the project last month.
The device, which Harrison envisions being worn like a wristwatch, would allow control of a projected keypad or other user interface displayed directly on the skin - or it could allow the wearer to control a basic device such as an MP3 player without a template, simply by tapping fingers, the inventor claims.
Harrison developed the prototype last year during an internship at Microsoft. Initial tests show the device to be about 88% accurate in interpreting inputs. But it does have limitations. It may not work so well on "heavier, fleshier people," the inventor says. And forget about using it in the gym: Running generates noise that degrades the signals.
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