New interface "SkinTrack" to transform human skin into a huge touchpad

A wrist watch type wearable terminal attached to the wrist is excellent in portability, but on the other hand it has a disadvantage that the display is small and it is hard to touch the touch compared to a smartphone. Technique of "changing your arm to a big touch pad" that seems to change the operation of such wearable terminal "SkinTrack"Was developed.

SkinTrack (2016) - Future Interfaces Group -
http://www.figlab.com/#/skintrack-2016/

By watching the movie below you can understand how to use the SkinTrack to wear a wearable terminal with a single shot.

SkinTrack: Using the Body as an Electrical Waveguide for Continuous Finger Tracking on the Skin - YouTube


SkinTrack is a technology to turn your arm into an input terminal that can be operated by touch. When a wristwatch-type SkinTrack terminal is attached to the arm and a finger is brought on the arm, a blue pointer indicating that the finger is in that position is displayed on the screen in the "Hover (floating)" state.


In the Hover state with your fingers floating, moving your finger to the right to trace your arms moves the blue pointer together.


You can also operate "Toutch (Touch)" by putting your finger on your arm.


In addition, Toutch operation is also possible from over the clothes.


Hover operation is also OK from the top of the clothes.


In addition to Hover / Toutch operation, SkinTrack supports touch screen operation familiar to smartphones and tablet terminals such as drag and swipe.


SkinTrack is a terminal for signal transmission attached to the finger ......


It is realized by two parts of a built-in band sensor.


SkinTrack is realized by transmitting and receiving electric signals between the fingers and the terminals attached to the arm.


When a finger wearing a signal transmission terminal touches his arm, the electric signal is transmitted through the arm and the sensor of the terminal receives the signal.


Two sensors built in parallel with the arm measure the distance between the point where the finger is touching and the band.


The distance from the two sensors is taken as the Y coordinate.


When you move your finger, remeasure it and trace where the finger is touching.


Similarly, two sensors built in perpendicular to the arm measure the distance in the X axis direction.


SkinTrack can recognize the place where your finger is located by quickly capturing the point where the finger is placed as data of X and Y coordinates.


Demonstration of touch operation using SkinTrack has also been released. "Swipe operation" to quickly move the finger to trace rightward


It is possible to touch manipulate the arm as a numeric keypad.


If you slowly move your finger while touching it, you can use it as a "slider".


Since it is possible to detect the movement of the finger, it can also be used as a shortcut function by writing letters and symbols.


For example, you can switch the screen of the wearable terminal up and down by swiping up and down with your fingers on the arm.


Scroll through the music list screen, tracing with your fingers ......


You can swipe the screen and select the songs to play.


Not only small screens but also widely available on the arms, we can operate small wearable terminals comfortably.


Furthermore, it is also possible to use the arm's canvas as an expansion space.


Long press the icon ......


Drag and drop to the edge of the arm.


Drag and drop another icon to a different place.


Tap the place where the shortcut icon was placed first ... ....


That application launched.


Tap a place where you put another icon ... ...


That application will launch.


Since SkinTrack can extend the screen of the wearable terminal to the arm, it seems to be very effective in the game.


You can easily dial incoming dial input with a small screen.


By registering specific letters and symbols, you can also handle gesture operations to launch applications.


Start tracing the arms with "N" and launch a news application ...


On incoming call ... ....


You can trace "S" to silent mode ...


Following the shape of the mountain like "A" ......


You can open the address book.


Since it is also possible to scroll the address book, it is easier to make a call from a wearable terminal with a small screen.


SkinTrack is an input method developed by Future Interfaces Group (FIG) of Carnegie Mellon University which studies the next generation input interface. It is a technology that is compact, low cost, power saving excellent, and it is being developed as a new touch operation technology that can expand small screens including smart watches.