Turn any Object into a TV remote: Lancaster University Research

Computer science Researchers from Lancaster University in the UK have developed a revolutionary new technology.

Imagine changing the channel of your TV simply by moving your any body part or any regular objects like a teacup or You could even change the channel with your pet cat.

This sounds crazy, right?

Scientists have developed a technology that can turn everyday objects into remote controls for televisions.

It allows body movement, or movement of objects, to be used to interact with screens.

How easy would it be if you have the power to control the volume of your TV by just scrubbing your coffee mug?

This is now possible with a new gesture control technology that will revolutionize how we interact with gadgets.

Team leader Christopher Clarke, a Ph.D. student at the University’s School of Computing and Communications, said:

“Spontaneous spatial coupling is a new approach to gesture control that works by matching movement instead of asking the computer to recognize a specific object.

Our method allows for a much more user-friendly experience where you can change channels without having to put down your drink, or change your position, whether that is relaxing on the sofa or standing in the kitchen following a recipe.

Everyday objects in the house can now become remote controls so there are no more frantic searches for remote controls when your favorite programme is about to start on another channel, and now everyone in the room has the ‘remote’.”

The Technology:

This technology differs from other conventional gesture recognition by being far simpler in its design.

It doesn’t look for a specific body part. It works even when hands are full, or while standing or slouching on the sofa.

The system, called Matchpoint. ‘Matchpoint’ does not require calibration or the software to have prior knowledge of objects. Users also do not need to learn specific commands to activate different functions.

The ‘Matchpoint’ technology, which only requires a simple webcam. It works by displaying moving targets that orbit a small circular widget in the corner of the screen.

The user synchronizes hand, head or object movements. Just to activate functions such as volume, changing a channel or viewing a menu.

Some televisions already recognize hand gestures, but scientists say this technology provides a lot of flexibility.

A paper on the technology will be presented at the User Interface Software and Technology 2017 conference in Quebec City, Canada, later this month.

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