Hasta La Gadget!

Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a next generation user interface which can accurately detect the users finger and what it is touching, creating an interactive touchscreen-like system, using objects in the real word.

“We think paper and many other objects could be manipulated by touching them, as with a touchscreen. This system doesn’t use any special hardware; it consists of just a device like an ordinary webcam, plus a commercial projector. Its capabilities are achieved by image processing technology.”

Using this technology, information can be imported from a document as data, by selecting the necessary parts with your finger.

This technology measures the shape of real-world objects, and automatically adjusts the coordinate systems for the camera, projector, and real world. In this way, it can coordinate the display with touching, not only for flat surfaces like tables and paper, but also for the curved surfaces of objects such as books.

“Until now, gesturing has often been used to operate PCs and other devices. But with this interface, we’re not operating a PC, but touching actual objects directly, and combining them with ICT equipment.”

“The system is designed not to react when you make ordinary motions on a table. It can be operated when you point with one finger. What this means is, the system serves as an interface combining analog operations and digital devices.”

To detect touch accurately, the system needs to detect fingertip height accurately. In particular, with the low-resolution camera used here (320 x 180), if fingertip detection is off by a single pixel, the height changes by 1 cm. So, the system requires technology for recognizing fingertips with high precision.

“Using a low-res webcam gives a fuzzy picture, but the system calculates 3D positions with high precision, by compensating through image processing.”

This system also includes technology for controlling color and brightness, in line with the ambient light, and correcting for individual differences in hand color. In this way, it can identify fingertips consistently, with little influence from the environment or individual differences.

Also, in situations that don’t use touch, the system can be operated by gesturing. In this demo, when you move your fist, you can manipulate the viewpoint for 3D CAD data. So, there could be applications for this touch system by combining it with current gesture systems.

“For example, we think this system could be used to show detailed information at a travel agent’s counter, or when you need to fill in forms at City Hall.”

“We aim to develop a commercial version of this system by fiscal 2014. It’s still at the demonstration level, so it’s not been used in actual settings. Next, we’d like to get people to use it for actual tasks, see what issues arise, and evaluate usability. We want to reflect such feedback in this system.”

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Fujitsu recently announced that they have managed to complete the first verification test with flying colors in Japan for a medical body area network , or mBAN for short. The mBAN will conform to IEEE 802. 15.6 standards, where it will also make use of a prototype device that has a frequency band which has been reserved for medical applications (400MHz). This particular test was conducted at the Fujitsu Clinic in Kawasaki, Japan. Normally, when one wants to take readings of vital signs like electrical activity of the heart, brain waves, blood pressure, and body temperature, the patients will need to be hooked up to wires, where results are visually inspected before being recorded in a medical chart.

mBAN offers a new way of doing things, where individual sensors are able to transmit signals sans wires to measuring devices. This means the patient will no longer need to go through the stress of being hooked up to wires, and nurses too, will have a breather since there is one less thing to worry about. Of course, other benefits include lowering the risk of unexpected connection problems – or rather, eliminating it completely since there are no wires to meddle with in the first place.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Phone Camera Assists Medical Field Again, Touch Bionics i-limb Now Equipped With Powered Rotating Thumb,

Bringing touch interfaces to real-world objects often involves putting hardware either inside the item or in front of it, neither of which is especially natural. Fujitsu has developed a control system that could eliminate those obstructions and bring digital interaction to many surfaces, even to old-fashioned paper. Its multi-camera approach can distinguish between objects on a table and the exact positions of a user’s fingers, right down to fingertip outlines; it’s accurate enough to scan text from a book as you drag your finger along the page. The system really comes alive, however, when its projector is involved. Besides providing visual feedback, the image overlay allows for both control of purely digital objects and interfaces tailored to real-world items. The company imagines brochures or maps that pop up extra details, among numerous other examples. While we wonder how long the technology will remain useful when there’s an ongoing push to go paperless, Fujitsu sees enough practicality that it’s anticipating a product in its fiscal 2014. That doesn’t leave long until we can get a very literal hands-on.

Filed under: Displays, Peripherals

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Via: The Verge

Source: Fujitsu

There seems to be an unwritten rule that Japanese carriers and smartphone makers need to dedicate R&D spend to bettering the lives of their users. And we certainly can’t argue with that. NTT DoCoMo is at the forefront of said innovation, developing breath analyzers, powerful translation apps and even bicycle sharing solutions, but companies such as Fujitsu have items of their own to show off from time to time, including this camera-based pulse-measuring software.

The technology, which works by measuring brightness variations in your face, does not require special hardware. Using a camera attached to a computer, smartphone or tablet, the tool can detect your pulse in just five seconds. You need to remain still in order to achieve accurate results — the software begins measuring once you stop moving, and works by detecting the flow of hemoglobin in blood, which absorbs green light. Readers currently in Gifu, Japan for the General Conference of the Institute of Electronics, Information, and Communication Engineers can test the solution for themselves beginning tomorrow. The rest of you can continue reading up on the development in the press release after the break. Cue DigInfo walkthrough.

Update: As readers have pointed out, other solutions have already made their way to market, such as the Cardiio app, which is available for iOS at 3 bucks a pop. We haven’t tested the app, but iTunes feedback is quite positive. You can snag it at the source link now.

Filed under: Cellphones, Household, Software

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Via: The Verge

Source: Fujitsu, Cardiio (iTunes)

Using built-in cameras in PCs or smartphones, a new technology to be presented this week by Fujitsu Laboratories can measure pulse in as little as five seconds using built-in cameras in PCs or smartphones.
It works by measuring variations in the brightness of the person’s face thought to be caused by the flow of blood. It is based on the characteristic of hemoglobin in blood, which absorbs green light. It requires no special hardware and can measure pulse rate simply by pointing a camera …