University of Washington created
AuraRing, a ring and wristband combination that can detect the precise location
of someone's index finger and continuously track hand movements. The ring emits
a signal that can be picked up on the wristband, which can then identify the
position and orientation of the ring—and the finger it's attached to. AuraRing
is composed of a coil of wire wrapped 800 times around a 3-D-printed ring. A
current running through the wire generates a magnetic field, which is picked up
by three sensors on the wristband. Based on what values the sensors detect, the
researchers can continuously identify the exact position of the ring in space.
From there, they can determine where the user's finger is located.
With continuous tracking,
AuraRing can pick up handwriting, potentially for short responses to text
messages—or allow someone to have a virtual reality avatar hand that mimics
what they're doing with their actual hand. In addition, because AuraRing uses
magnetic fields, it can still track hands even when they are out of sight, such
as when a user is on a crowded bus and can't reach their phone. The researchers
designed AuraRing to be ready to use as soon as it comes out of the box and not
be dependent on a specific user. They tested the system on 12 participants with
different hand sizes. The team compared the actual location of a participant's
finger to where AuraRing said it was. Most of the time, the system's tracked
location agreed with the actual location within a few millimeters.
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