Skinput Technology

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Skinput Technology

• Skinput

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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

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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 accuracyabout
  the same as many actual touch screen devices.

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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.

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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.

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Process of skinput
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ADVANTAGES

• The projected interface can appear much larger
  than it ever could on a devices 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.

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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,
  its 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.

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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

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Thank You..