A sign of the times: A composite input device for human-computer interactions

Advances in gesture recognition create avenues for new ways of interacting with computers, machines, and virtual environments. In 1994, Fukumoto and Suenaga looked at the possibility of using hand gestures as input for computer devices, especially mobile devices. Their system used a chordal input method where the finger movements were similar to those involved in playing a piano. Most recently, in 2002, Jose Hernandez-Rebollar developed a system that functioned as a standalone American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation system that had a potential 1,000-word vocabulary. Hernandez-Rebollar's device design made the implementation costs lower than that of the available gesture recognition systems at the time, by employing pulse-width-modulation-output accelerometers and microcontrollers. The aim of the project discussed in this article is to develop a similar system that will not only be as cost effective, but will expand the possible applications of such gesture recognitions systems, especially for the general computer consumer population.