iPoint Explorer
Contactless interaction by gesture-controlled operations
Ideal for very high hygiene requirements in the food and luxury consumables trade.
Mouse and keyboard are not the most suitable input devices for the purposes of interacting hygienically with a computer. Input methods for use in hygiene-sensitive environments are being investigated that both provide safe human-machine interaction and which, at the same time, offer the greatest possible degree of compliance with hygiene standards, following the motto: "what cannot be touched, cannot lead to contamination". The "Point Explorer" research project of the Heinrich-Hertz Institute (HHI) at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications represents an interesting concept.
- Technical solution: first, a technical solution has to be found for contactless interaction between humans and computers. A camera-based hand/finger tracking system was chosen and adapted to the application scenario.
- Interaction: the coordination values supplied by the tracker have to be interpreted in such a way that interaction on a Windows system is made possible. The Hand2Mouse software developed for this purpose translates the hand movements into mouse cursor actions, offering a number of different opportunities for triggering a mouse click.
- Reliability: A reliable interaction methodology was developed during the course of user testing and expert evaluations. Attempts were made to find a form of interaction that was as intuitive as possible (gesture-based mouse-clicks, for instance) and a graphical interface adapted to this form of interaction. The interaction can be followed by new users without the need for any complicated instructions.
The iPoint Explorer represents a technology for non-contact interaction with machines, control or information systems. The user's location can be relocated at any distance to the screen. The system is equipped with sensors to recognise new users and to specifically address or instruct them.
More detailed information can be found on the Frauenhofer Institute website.
