Skinput is a technology that appropriates the human body for acoustic transmission.
It allows the skin to be used as an input surface.
It was developed by Chris Harrison, Desney Tan, and Dan Morris of the Microsoft Research's Computational User Experiences Group
Its first public appearance was at Microsoft'sTechFest 2010
Microsoft has not commented on the future of the project, other than it is under active development. It has been reported this may not appear in commercial devices for at least 2 years
2. INTRODUCTION
Skinput is a technology that appropriates the human body for acoustic
transmission.
It allows the skin to be used as an input surface.
It was developed by Chris Harrison, Desney Tan, and Dan Morris of the
Microsoft Research's Computational User Experiences Group
Its first public appearance was at Microsoft'sTechFest 2010
Microsoft has not commented on the future of the project, other than it
is under active development. It has been reported this may not appear
in commercial devices for at least 2 years
3. HOW IT WORKS
It uses the different sounds emitted when we tap various parts of our
skin (acoustic patterns) to figure out what icon, menu, or key is tapped.
The acoustic detector in the armband contains five piezoelectric
cantilevers, each weighted to respond to certain bands of sound
frequencies.
Different combinations of the sensors are activated to differing degrees
depending on where the arm is tapped
The system could use wireless technology like Bluetooth to transmit
commands to many types of device - including phones, iPods and
even PCs.
The system is surprisingly on target. It can detect 5 skin locations with
95.5% accuracy–about the same as many actual touch screen devices.
4. SENSING
Instead of a single sensing element with a flat response curve,
an array of highly tuned vibration sensors are used.
Specifically, its employed with small, cantilevered piezo films.
When small weights are added to the end of the cantilever, it
alters the resonant frequency, allowing the sensing element to
be responsive to a unique, narrow, low-frequency band of the
acoustic spectrum.
The cantilevered sensors are naturally insensitive to forces
parallel to the skin. Thus, the skin stretch induced by many
routine movements (e.g., reaching for a doorknob) tends to be
attenuated
This sensor design is relatively inexpensive and can be
manufactured in a very small form factor, rendering it suitable
for inclusion in future mobile devices.
5. THE DESIGN
The final prototype features two arrays of five sensing
elements, incorporated into an armband form factor.
Based on pilot data collection, a different set of resonant
frequencies were selected for each sensor package.
The upper sensor package is more sensitive to lower
frequency signals, as these were more prevalent in
fleshier areas
The lower sensor array is sensitive to higher frequencies,
in order to better capture signals transmitted though
(denser) bones.
6.
7. ADVANTAGES
The projected interface can appear much larger than it ever
could on a device’s screen.
Arm can be brought closer to face (or vice versa) to see the
display close up.
Color contrast can be adjusted by dimming the light so that a
better picture will be visible if skin and the text are too similar
in color during daylight.
The Skinput could eventually be used without a visual screen.
As the laws of proprioception states, humans are allowed to
interact with specific body parts without using their eyes. This
will make ideal for anyone with little to no eyesight.
The body is portable and always available, and fingers are a
natural input device.
8. DISADVANTAGES
One of the current limitations of the prototype is that the
accuracy can degrade over time the longer you wear it.
A person's Body Mass Index (BMI) will play an important role
in the accuracy of skinput, in obese people the accuracy rate
drops to approximately 80 percent, due to the interference of
the wave transmission by fat deposits in the tissue.
Though the band seems easy enough to slip on, it’s highly
unlikely that most people will want it residing on their arms
all day.
The technology might start up at very high cost which will not
be affordable for the common man.
9. CONCLUSION
How well the Skinput technology works in practice
remains to be seen
The usual factors of performance, price, device
compatibility, and ergonomics still need to be fleshed
out.
The technology itself is intriguing, and may have even
more applications we can't envision yet.
There is no clue on when skinput might hit the market.
It has been reported this may not appear in commercial
devices for at least 2 years.
Skinput is a very interesting technology. But its fate will
ultimately depend on how committed Microsoft is to
making it a commercial reality and how soon
