Multitouch IRGlove Prototype a Success. Help Needed

[cnichols785]

I posted this over at NUIGroup.com but I think people here could help as well. The whole multitouch project depends on a program Touchlib (google) which is based on Intel's Open Source Computer Vision Library. I don't know if this is the appropriate section, if not admins please move this post. Thanks

I really like the idea of a multitouch display for all its many impressive applications but don’t have the money for the digital projector required right now. Instead, I decided to go with IR gloves and this has worked out well. I can use touchlib much in the same way as someone with a FTIR display would but instead of touching a panel, I push a button to activate an IR LED (a feature which I plan to do away with as soon as I figure out how to modify Touchlib appropriately). The IR is picked up by my laptops webcam covered with an uber cheap IR filter (clear packing tape + black sharpie works surprisingly well)

The design is simple but efficient: battery pack wired to button and then IR LED. The glove has only thumb, middle and pointer fingers with only one IR LED on the pointer finger for right now but future versions will include the other two fingers.

I need help in at least two areas. First, I need a low-profile diffuser/mirror/? to scatter the light in order for it to be detectable from 0-180 degrees. I couldn’t find or make anything that worked properly. Possibly a different LED with a wider viewing angle would. The second problem is more complicated. Instead of having the software treat each blob as a click event, I want a thumb to pointer finger pinch to be a click. This will allow me to abandon the annoying button. I have no idea where to start in regards to the software problem.

Any suggestions, critiques, etc. would be appreciated. Pics and video available if anyone is interested.

Thanks a lot,

Charlie

 

[robphy]

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4669 has a wider angle.

( As a side project, I'm playing around with Wiimote/IR-LED projects (inspired by Johnny Chung Lee http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/ ) and VPython.)

I'm not familiar with the software/algorithms of multitouch, gestures, and IR-point-tracking yet... but I'm slowly stumbling upon them.

 

[quicknote]

As a fellow scientist, I am impressed by your successful prototype of a multitouch IR glove. It is great to see innovative solutions being developed for those who cannot afford a digital projector for multitouch displays. Your use of touchlib and IR gloves is a clever alternative.

In terms of your request for help, I suggest reaching out to other scientists and engineers who have experience with computer vision and gesture recognition software. They may be able to offer valuable insights and suggestions for modifying touchlib to recognize a thumb to pointer finger pinch as a click event. Additionally, I recommend experimenting with different types of LEDs and diffusers to find the best solution for detecting light at all angles.

Your project is a great example of the power of collaboration and I encourage you to continue seeking assistance and sharing your progress with the scientific community. Best of luck with your future versions of the IR glove and I look forward to seeing your results.