Tokyo University's touchless pointing system could wipe out smudgy screens
By Tim Stevens 
posted January 5th 2010 9:33AM
posted January 5th 2010 9:33AM
Touchscreens are wondrous things, but nobody likes smudges, and attempts to magically prevent oil from sticking haven't always found success. The proper solution might not be in fancy screen coatings but rather in removing the touchability together. Tokyo University has developed a system that uses a high-res camera to identify where a finger is in 3D space, so moving around and even air-clicking is detected. Multitouch seems to be right out at this point, and while the video after the break shows some rather deft looking typing on a dinky virtual keyboard, we're not entirely convinced that this is the most enjoyable or ergonomic way to interact with a cellphone. That said, if it makes the compulsive anti-smudge pantleg swipe motion a thing of the past, we'd give it a shot.
Um, yeah right. People already complain about not being able to press buttons, and now we think not being able to touch anything is the solution?
Still really cool though.
@trainwrecka
maaan, touchscreens were soo 90's
@trainwrecka
it don't mean that a touch screen can't be implemented along with this. Touch screen and this technology aren't mutually exclusive.
It looks like a Natal for your phone.
Judging by the video of what the screen sees it looks like its using a infrared TOF(time-of-flight) camera (like Microsoft's Natal), which is why we see a silhouette of a finger. The silhouette is extruded and intersected to form the visual hull approximating of the subject (your finger in this case).
I'd rather get LCD screens that shock you if you touch the screen. I get back laptops at my job that have probably 2000 finger prints on the screen, and they're not even touch screens. Wtf.
Excellent
next step multi-touchless... add that with 3D images (less the eyeglasses)
and I might not be able to tell whats real and not anymore
this technology is good for computers and laptops, not cell phones. no one is gonna wanna hold a phone 6 inches or so away from them to interact with it.
@imarty2010
I agree i could see the use for this in CAD designing...
They should have emphasized the used of 3d drawing more. like grab and turn pivot screen.. or something.
For more accuracy, they could implement a part that you physically press and that is not on the screen so to avoid smudges, like a protruding key. Wait...
I went to school with a kid who did exactly this in April 2008 as his senior design project. It was pretty cool, and worked well and drew in big crowds at the senior design showcase!
I guess I'm a weirdo, but fingerprints and smudges don't drive me as crazy as other people seem to get about them. I certainly wouldn't trade usability for a smudge-free screen.
I'm impressed with the typing speed on the keyboard, especially considering how small it was on the screen.
At the moment, my favourite application of this would be a District 9-esque spacecraft control system.
OMG.. Cut your disgusting fingernails.
Has anyone else noticed that the demonstrator uses "the finger" as the pointing device?
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Zooming piture viewer... I guess they've typed that on touch-less keyboard...
hmm, high framerate camera, that can recognize a finger in various lighting conditions and backgrounds, and the background would if the camera is in the device be often your face which is the same color, and that camera has to be on the side where they now put 2-bit cameras, I'm not sure this will work in a device that can be produced for an affordable sum.
@tim stevens/engadget
Why does engadget lately do a 'via: site x' and 'source: site y' and then it turns out it's not the source at all but yet another site, who themselves says they got it from a 3rd (or 4th) site.
The source as you mention yourself is the university of tokyo in japan, and the link for that is http://www.k2.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/vision/index-e.html
More likely this will bring touchless accidental calls to 911.
This uses the Lucas-Kanade algorithm. For those who have watched SuperBowl, you have probably seen the CBS 3D cam which is one of Takeo Kanade's inventions.
mark my words this is the future of input
Uh oh, the screen protector industry is gonna go bust...
Gotta start selling my shares of company "X"