Fingertip Device Helps Computers Read Hand Gestures
From: University at Buffalo News - 07/27/2006

Researchers at the University of Buffalo will demonstrate new haptic
technology that will allow computers to respond to hand gestures at the
SIGGRAPH 2006 technology conference scheduled for July 30th through August
3rd in Boston. Modeled after the biomechanical properties of a finger, the
Fingertip Digitizer gives users the opportunity to direct a personal computer
by pointing, wagging a finger, tapping in the air, or making another
movement. "With this device a computer, cell phone, or computer game could
read human intention more naturally," says Young-Seok Kim, who receives his
doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from UB in May. "Eventually the
Fingertip Digitizer may be used as a high-end substitute for a mouse, a
keyboard or a joystick." Kim, who developed the Fingertip Digitizer along
with Thenkurussi Kesavadas, director of UB's Virtual Reality Lab and an
associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, says the device
could also be used for medical diagnostics in that it would be able to relay
the shape and size of a human gland or tumor. As a computer-game accessory,
for example, the device would enable players to imitate the squeezing of a
trigger or the stroking of a pool cue. The Fingertip Digitizer will be
accompanied by Touch Painter and Touch Canvas software, and researchers
believe the device could be on the market in three years.  

Read the entire article at:
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/fast-execute.cgi/article-page.html?article=80920009

Fingertip Digitizer: Applying Haptics and Biomechanics to Tactile Input Technology
http://www.siggraph.org/s2006/main.php?f=conference&p=etech&s=fingertip

Thenkurussi Kesavadas
http://www.mae.buffalo.edu/people/faculty/kesavadas/

Virtual Reality Laboratory
http://wings.buffalo.edu/academic/department/eng/mae/vrlab/

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Boffins Give Mice the Finger
From: VNUNet - 07/31/2006
By: Robert Jaques

In an attempt to bridge the gap between human knowledge and computer
knowledge, researchers at the University at Buffalo have developed a
technology that enables computers to read the gestures of human hands. The
Fingertip Digitizer, a device that users wear on the tip of their index
fingers, reads gestures such as pointing and tapping and translates them into
the virtual environment. Users can direct the functions of a device with the
Fingertip Digitizer in a similar fashion as a mouse guides a computer, but
with greater accuracy, according to the researchers. "The gesture-recognition
function of this device, in particular, has great potential for a wide range
of applications, from personal computing to medical diagnostics to computer
games," said Young-Seok Kim, director of the Virtual Reality Lab at Buffalo.
The device, which the researchers claim is a major breakthrough in haptic
technology, could eventually replace a joystick or a mouse. They modeled the
device around the biomechanical attributes of a human finger so that it can
intuitively sense an object's properties. To detect movement and touch, the
Fingertip Digitizer uses a force sensor, an accelerometer, and a motion
tracker. The device reads the force feedback an object exerts when it is
touched, and the system reads hand gestures by tracking its acceleration and
location. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2161381/boffins-give-mice-finger

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Fingertip Device
From: NASA Tech Briefs Insider - 08/03/2006

Researchers in the University at Buffalo's (UB) Virtual Reality Lab have
developed a "Fingertip Digitizer" that can transfer the meaning and intent of
common hand gestures to the virtual world. Worn on a user's fingertip,
actions such as pointing, finger wagging, tapping in the air, or other
movements used to direct electronic devices, much like a mouse directs the
actions of a personal computer, can be conveyed.  

The digitizer's design is modeled after the biomechanical properties of a
finger, meaning it can more accurately sense the physical properties of an
object. To sense touch and movement, it uses a force sensor, an
accelerometer, and a motion tracker -- all contained in a thimble-sized
device that fits comfortably on a user's finger. 

Read the entire article:
Fingertip Device Helps Computers Read Hand Gestures
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/fast-execute.cgi/article-page.html?article=80920009