Scientists at Japan's Tohoku University have discovered a way to place augmented reality (AR) touch panels on hard surfaces such as desks and walls.
To make this vision a reality, the research team trained an AI model to reliably recognise
the blanching phenomenon in fingertip images captured by a standard camera on the headset. In addition, a supporting
interaction system was developed to provide easy-to-access user experience.
User studies showed that the system reliably detected
fingertip contact across several common surface materials. Participants were able to perform interaction tasks with stable input
accuracy. The surface-supported interaction also allowed users to rest their fingers on the surface during operation.
"This research
means that ordinary surfaces all around us - walls, desks, or partitions - can be used as
a touch input area," said Guanghan Zhao, who led the study. "Moreover, this method doesn't require special
sensors, markers, or additional devices. Anyone can use it easily.
The team's findings were presented last month in
South Korea, at the 33rd IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces.
Source: Tohoku University