"Revolutionary" New Gesture Control Tech Turns Any Object into a TV Remote
From: ECN Magazine - 10/02/2017

Imagine changing the channel of your TV simply by moving your cup of tea,
adjusting the volume on a music player by rolling a toy car, or rotating a
spatula to pause a cookery video on your tablet.

New gesture control technology that can turn everyday objects into remote
controls could revolutionise how we interact with televisions, and other
screens - ending frustrating searches for remotes that have slipped down the
side of sofa cushions.

In a paper - "Matchpoint: Spontaneous spatial coupling of body movement for
touchless pointing" - which will be presented at the UIST2017 conference in
Quebec City this October, researchers from Lancaster University show a novel
technique that allows body movement, or movement of objects, to be used to
interact with screens.

The "Matchpoint" technology, which only requires a simple webcam, works by
displaying moving targets that orbit a small circular widget in the corner of
the screen. These targets correspond to different functions - such as volume,
changing channel or viewing a menu. The user synchronises the direction of
movement of the target, with their hand, head or an object, to achieve what
researchers call 'spontaneous spatial coupling', which activates the desired
function.

Read the entire article at:
https://www.ecnmag.com/news/2017/10/revolutionary-new-gesture-control-tech-turns-any-object-tv-remote
http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/articles/2017/revolutionary-new-gesture-control-tech-turns-any-object-into-a-tv-remote

Links:
Matchpoint: Spontaneous spatial coupling of body movement for touchless
  pointing
http://confer.csail.mit.edu/uist2017/paper#!uistf2925

Gesture Recognition: How to Turn Any Object into a Remote Control
http://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/1198-tb/news/news/27643-gesture-recognition-how-to-turn-any-object-into-a-remote-control

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Researchers at Lancaster University in the UK have demonstrated a new method
of gesture control that can turn everyday objects into TV remotes. Their
Matchpoint technology needs only a simple webcam, and it functions by
displaying moving targets that spin around a small circular widget in the
corner of the screen. The targets are aligned with different functions, such
as volume, channel change, or menu views. The researchers say the user syncs
up the target's trajectory with their hand, head, or an object to activate
the desired command via "spontaneous spatial coupling." The Matchpoint
software differs from current gesture-control techniques in that it does not
seek a specific body part it has been trained to identify, offering much more
flexibility and ease for users. "Our method allows for a much more
user-friendly experience where you can change channels without having to put
down your drink, or change your position," says Lancaster's Christopher
Clarke.