Katrin Wolf, lead designer behind Pinch-pad (via Technical University of Berlin)
The sales of smart phones and tablet computers have been growing exponentially in the past couple years, maximizing our transfer of information from one to another. For many users, the touch screen on these devices gives them a very natural feel to skimming through the internet or traversing their music library. Very soon these smart phones and tablets may be taking advantage of a skill many of us never even knew we had.
Proprioception is a human’s ability to sense where our body parts are located even when we cannot see them. Using this natural skill and a couple of iPads back to back researchers at Germany's Technical University of Berlin, led by Katrin Wolf, have created what they named the pinch-pad. This device reads our fingers and thumbs movements while the device is held and can be used for additional controls. For example, a circular motion with our thumb above our index finger can be used to control display size or perhaps volume. A sweeping gesture towards our pinky finger may be used for action controls in a game. How the new innovative idea may be used is not yet known, however, more natural controls and quicker accessibility are on their way.
The technology will be presented at a TEI conference in Canada in about a month. Although, there have been a few ideas similar to this, mainly the PS Vita with a rear-facing touchpad on the backside of the device, due in late February, none have taken advantage of the idea of proprioception. The natural movements and easier accessibility will soon add to the speed of our information transfer and data processing.
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