Body Acoustics Can Turn Your Arm into a Touchscreen
From: New Scientist - 03/01/2010
By: Paul Marks

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft have developed
Skinput, a skin-based interface that turns the human body into a touchscreen.
Skinput merges the ability to detect the ultra-low frequency sound produced
by tapping the skin with a finger, and the microchip-sized "pico" projectors
found in some cell phones. Skinput projects a keyboard or menu onto the
user's forearm and hand from a projector built into an armband. The armband
also contains an acoustic detector, which calculates which part of the
display should be activated. The researchers have identified various
locations on the forearm and hand that make distinctive acoustic patterns
when tapped. The acoustic detector contains five piezoelectric cantilevers,
each designed to respond to certain bands of sound frequencies. Skinput also
could be used to wirelessly transmit commands to electronic devices, such as
cell phones and PCs. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18591-body-acoustics-can-turn-your-arm-into-a-touchscreen.html

Links:
Skinput: Appropriating the Body as an Input Surface
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/cue/publications/HarrisonSkinputCHI2010.pdf

Video
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/cue/video/SkinputCHI2010.wmv

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Skin Becomes Gadget Control Pad
From: BBC News - 03/26/2010
By: Mark Ward

A method in which tapping one's skin to control gadgets using a combination
of sensors and software has been worked out by Carnegie Mellon University
PhD student Chris Harrison and colleagues at Microsoft Research. The system
involves placing sensors on the arm that listen for acoustic input, while the
software can be trained to assign specific sounds to specific locations, into
which different gadget functions can be bundled. Early tests demonstrate that
the system is capable of picking up a five-location system with more than 95
percent accuracy after a short amount of training. Harrison envisions three
unique applications for the system--controlling an in-pocket gadget via
coupling with Bluetooth; controlling a music player attached to the user's
upper arm; and turning the forearm or hand into a display surface in
conjunction with a pico-projector. 

Read the entire article at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8587486.stm

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Carnegie Mellon Student Uses Skin as Input For Smart Phones and Other Mobile Devices
From: Carnegie Mellon News - 04/06/2010
By: Byron Spice

Carnegie Mellon University PhD student Chris Harrison and Microsoft
researchers Desney Tan and Dan Morris have developed Skinput, technology that
combines bio-acoustic sensors and machine-learning programs to enable people
to use parts of the body as touchpads to control mobile devices. The
researchers say Skinput could help people take advantage of the computer
power that is currently available in compact devices that can be worn or
carried. "With Skinput, we can use our own skin - the body's largest organ -
as an input device," Harrison says. In a prototype, acoustic sensors, which
capture sound generated by actions such as flicking or tapping fingers
together, are attached to the upper arm. The researchers found that the tap
of each fingertip produces a unique acoustic signature that machine-learning
programs could learn to identify. In a test involving 20 subjects, the system
was able to identify inputs with 88 percent accuracy. The prototype armband
features a sensor array and a small projector that can superimpose buttons
onto the user's forearm, as well as create a keypad on the palm of the hand.  

Read the entire article at:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2010/April/april6_skinput.shtml