MIT researchers develop the most fabulous gesture control technique yet
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted May 23rd 2010 10:41PM
posted May 23rd 2010 10:41PM
When looking for a cheap, reliable way to track gestures, Robert Wang and Jovan Popovic of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory came upon this notion: why not paint the operator's hands (or better yet, his Lycra gloves) in a manner that will allow the computer to differentiate between different parts of the hand, and differentiate between the hand and the background? Starting with something that Howie Mandel might have worn in the 80s, the researchers are able to use a simple webcam to track the hands' locations and gestures -- with relatively little lag. The glove itself is split into twenty patches made up of ten different colors, and while there's no telling when this technology will be available for consumers, something tells us that when it does become available it'll be very hard not to notice. Video after the break.
Update: Just received a nice letter from Rob Wang, who points out that his website is the place to see more videos, get more info, and -- if you're lucky -- one day download the APIs so you can try it yourself. What are you waiting for?
Update: Just received a nice letter from Rob Wang, who points out that his website is the place to see more videos, get more info, and -- if you're lucky -- one day download the APIs so you can try it yourself. What are you waiting for?
The picture reminds me of Microsoft Surface.
@dannyyang524
no, this reminds me of Iron Man 1 and 2!
MS Jazz Hands®
@Marbles I can see it now, but the Nalmer will can it because it doesn't ooze boringness, like office
@dannyyang524
My girlfriend already has socks like that. LOL
these MIT people are funny but i'm sure they realize that there are so many other ways of tagging that is not visible to the naked eye, outside our range of vision, that could do the job. i think they just did this on purpose to get on engadget lol!
@SeeKo
Your girlfriend must have weird toes!
@Complex Pants It reminds me of iron man too
@buoy
Those options that are not visible to the naked eye are also more expensive. With this project MIT was looking for a cheap solution. Besides most webcams probably couldn't even view those not visible to te naked eye solutions without modifications anyway.
@Chewy71, actually, most cheap web cams would grab infrared much better than the visible light - you can try with yours by pointing a simple IR remote control at it and pressing the buttons. In most cases it will be quantified as a bright white light...
@incognito
No offense to you guys. But when a MIT scientist tells me that this is cheaper and more reliable with basic hardware, then I believe him, not you.
It's...beautiful~
@elduderino Its something.
yea right I really wanna wear clown gloves whenever I use the computer..
omfg...
@obobo
I'm gonna ignore your sarcasm and agree with you.
Those gloves rock, in my opinion it's not been the 80's for far too long.
@NeoJew
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Touch Gloves?
Awesome stuff - now let's work towards interacting with holographic imagery like we saw in Iron Man? XD
@Pearl Jam You mean Iron 2 Man?
@Meltz
They both had it if I remember correctly.
@Meltz
Wait, Iron 2 Man?
Is that some sorta porno?
@NeoJew
Yes, this kind:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TechnologyPorn
@NeoJew
Just stick with Iron Man for that.
Props to the one who came up with the idea. Very clever indeed. Go MIT!
@satish
No no, Apple is the only company on earth the innovates.
BTW, hey Engadget, the video is not working.
Posted from my iPad.
Someones been watching Iron Man 2
@Kamil R EVERYONE has.
I'm assuming there are dyes out there for parts of the light spectrum that we humans are unable to see. Just use those and a camera that can differentiate them.
Of course, that would be the next step. This seems like a proof of concept before you invest the money into something like that.
@M3
The real benefit of having it be in the visible spectrum is that then it works with webcams that are out NOW, rather than in a few years. The hardware is capable, and the software looks very close to being ready (at least the basic tracking software).
I really hope that they're either open sourcing it or are lining up licensees, because all you need now is someone to develop a UI around it, and this could be in operating systems within the next few years (which, in that case, they could start putting slightly more capable webcams into every computer before the software's ready). Or it could be in Linux distros a lot sooner if it's open sourced.
Minority Report here we come
@Xega Actually, a lot of the tech in that movie was based on MIT research.
JAZZ HANDS!
@MrFluffyThing YES
love it!
Im over gestures, I just want to control stuff with my mind.
@spacemonkey086 Exactly. I should be able to make a screen appear in midair.
Fabulooooouuuuus!
i know we all like to have a laugh and poke fun at articles on here....
but this is a small step to the true future of computing...believe it or not. congrats to MIT.
God, I'd love to see Tom Cruise acting all serious, doing his thing in "Minority Report" wearing these...
I imagine that the jump from something like those to more subtle gloves using infrared reflectivity rather than garish colors will be fairly quick.
iron mans inventions coming closer to reality
Imagine seeing your doctor wearing those when you go in for a physical.
@insky
If it keeps his hands physically off my junk, I'd have no problem with him wearing them..lol
@goander
A poke in the butt's still a poke in the butt.
Wow ... despite the short sighted comments here I see tons of potential. Future video game application written all over it!!! and learning to fix cars would be an awesome application as well. Helping surgeons learn complicated procedures, sex ed... tons of possibilities.
@Thor e
While I can see this tech being used in a scholarly or industrial environment. I can't see any business marketing a system where people have to put on gloves to play games.
Why not just have people put on colored body suits (ala green-man but multicolored) so you can track every part of the body?
Hmmm!! Tips of middle fingers are hot pink (magenta?)... color coding? Coincidence??
Wait, so with the parallax stuff on the NDS, does that mean, coupled with this we can MANIPULATE HOLOGRAMS FOR UNDER $400?!
I can has?
Dear Engadget,
This is old news.... about 1 year old to be exact......
@wiggle wiggle you have a link?