New innovative technology from Fujitsu Technologies allows for just about any object to be used as a touchscreen interface that responds to finger based inputs. It is intuitive without needing any fancy hardware to achieve what it promises. Instead, it’s just a commercial projector combined with a webcam that is strong enough to capture hand motions, though the real magic lies with the image processing software that the system utilizes.
The object is mapped to measure its shape, which is then fed to the camera and the projector adjusts its co-ordinates accordingly. This way, when the finger touches the object, the system can synchronize with the finger’s movements. The system adapts to work seamlessly not only for flat surfaces like a sheet of paper, but even for curved surfaces like that of a book. To achieve this, a low res 320 x 180 pixel camera is used to accurately determine the exact position of the fingertip.
“Using a low-res webcam gives a fuzzy picture, but the system calculates 3D positions with high precision, by compensating through image processing.”
This is particularly important since if the finger is detected even a pixel away, this would translate to the height getting changed by a cm.
The technology can be used to extract information from any printed material such as a piece of paper or a book. The material can be text or even images.
“For example, we think this system could be used to show detailed information at a travel agent’s counter, or when you need to fill in forms at City Hall.”
“We aim to develop a commercial version of this system by fiscal 2014. It’s still at the demonstration level, so it’s not been used in actual settings. Next, we’d like to get people to use it for actual tasks, see what issues arise, and evaluate usability. We want to reflect such feedback in this system.”
Fujitsu had earlier wowed visitors at the last edition of MWC event with its innovate virtual keyboard technology.
Click on the video below for a better understanding.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.