TAUCHI researchers developing gesture control for industrial settings
Operating principle of gesture control. Copyright Fastems Oy.
Gesture control could replace button pressing in industrial machinery. Researchers at the TAUCHI Research Centre at the University of Tampere have developed gesture control which functions reliably and also with the help of a low-cost system.
“We started by looking for appropriate gestures. These were defined at in a workshop, tested with the help of our prototype and further developed,” reports Professor of Interactive Technology Markku Turunen.
“The biggest challenge was to find the gestures which come most naturally to people and which the system can interpret most reliably,” he continues.
“We replaced the buttons on the machinery by creating a model in which the buttons are part of the person’s body, for example, the shoulder.” When the operator points with his shoulder, the device turns in the direction indicated by the operator’s shoulder.”
Strategic top expertise
Low cost was a priority in developing the system, so the inexpensive control used in gaming was used. The camera in the control reads the person’s movements three-dimensionally so that the feet and the entire body are included. All that was needed after the control was a computer and a large display screen.
The development work was user-centered and conducted in a top-level cluster of the metal and machine construction industries, FIMECC Oy and UXUS research programmes. The aim of the programme is to make the machine and metal industries more user-centered. The goal is to achieve superior competitive edge through more easily controlled machinery and positive user experiences.
The research group includes Fastems, the Universities of Tampere and Jyväskylä and the company Idea. At the University of Tampere the UXUS programme is part of the research programme in human-technology interaction.
Technology of the future
According to Professor Turunen, gesture control is so far a concept which is not going directly into production. Although the technology is in place its proliferation is still in the future. First user prejudice needs to be overcome.
“Gaining acceptance is a major challenge – when gesture control becomes part of the daily routine,” he speculates.
The TAUCHI researchers continue to work on the development of gesture control user interfaces.
“The greatest challenge in basic research is to develop the interaction between body and space,” says Professor Turunen.
