In an attempt to cross the gigantic ravine still existing between the human capacities and those of the computer, researchers of the University of Buffalo developed a technology that enables computers to read the gestures of human hands.

The Fingertip Digitizer, a device that you wear on the tip of your index finger. Then you can point or tap on the table, on the screen, draw large circles... everything is translated to the computer. Like a mouse or a joystick but with more freedom and accuracy, according to the above-named researchers.

They modelled the Digitizer according to the biomechanical attributes of the human finger, in order to be able to intuitively feel an object's properties. To detect movement and touch, it uses a force sensor, an accelerometer and a motion tracker. It measures the force feedback of the touched object and calculates the hand gestures following its acceleration and location.




Source: vnunet.com, Monday.
For those who do not know: The motion tracking is the identification of a shape by a software, and the location of the evolution image by image of this shape in the time, in order to create a movement.