Attachable computer: augmentation of electric household appliances by fit-up computer

A new concept of "Attachable Computer" is proposed for the purpose of augmenting the use of daily artifacts by fit-up type small computer devices which can be directly attached on user interfaces of the artifacts. Attachable Computer is a small computer device which can recognize situations on the user interface of electric household appliances such as a light switch or a display panel of video tape recorder by a small sensor and a simple image recognition technique. We have designed a prototype system which can control a computer system by manipulating the user interface of real world artifacts. The system consists of a portable micro computer and small sensors such as a photo-sensor or a CCD camera. By attaching the computer device directly to the user interface of artifacts, situations on the user interface of artifacts are captured by sensors, and recognized through a simple image recognition technique.