Background
The use of ring-shaped wearables for finger gesture recognition has been widely explored, with numerous sensing methods developed to detect hand movements, actions, and object interactions. While innovative approaches—such as inertial measurement units (IMUs) and electrical sensing techniques—have shown promise, camera-based methods remain the most accurate to date. However, they come with significant limitations, including high computational demands, susceptibility to occlusion, and potential privacy risks.
Researchers have continued to seek alternative sensing solutions that balance accuracy, efficiency, and user comfort. This ongoing search has spurred interest in compact, low-power wearable systems capable of delivering reliable gesture recognition without compromising user experience or data privacy.
Invention Description
Researchers at Arizona State have developed a wearable ring that fuses depth sensing and acoustic signals to infer micro gestures and recognize energized hand-held objects. The device incorporates a 2D time-of-flight (TOF) sensor and an acoustic vibration sensor to capture depth data and bioacoustics vibrations emanating from hand interactions. Thus, by leveraging both direct line-of-sight sensing and indirect physiological signal sensing, the device aims to surpass the limitations of individual sensing methodologies and offer a robust approach to hand interaction detection.
Potential Applications:
- Health & Accessibility
- Gaming & Entertainment
- Neurotech & Behavior monitoring
Benefits and Advantages:
- Enhanced privacy consciousness – does not record any intelligible objects or background information
- Accessible – allows better assistive control for people with motor and visual impairments
- Portable design – small enough to be used for everyday applications