Researcher Creates Skin Based Touch Technology

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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Researcher Creates Skin Based Touch Technology

A Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University has created an input system for electronic devices that uses your skin as a touch screen.


Chris Harrison is a third year Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon's Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and has created a system that allows people to use their skin to operate their electronic devices. The system, dubbed 'Skinput', straps onto the wearer's arm and projects buttons on to their skin; the system then 'listens' for the vibrations that happen when the wearer presses one of the buttons.

"Appropriating the human body as an input device is appealing not only because we have roughly two square meters of external surface area, but also because much of it is easily accessible by our hands," said Harrison.

"For example, we can readily flick each of our fingers, touch the tip of our nose, and clap our hands together without visual assistance. Few external input devices can claim this accurate, eyes-free input characteristic and provide such a large interaction area."

Source: Chris Harrison [http://www.chrisharrison.net/projects/skinput/]


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Jack and Calumon

Digimon are cool.
Dec 29, 2008
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Interesting, like those Holo-keyboards you can buy, but made portable.

Calumon: How long until I see a Cylon?
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
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I really think this is going to be the next stage of mobile technology...I dont know how they will do some stuff but...Still be pretty neat to do the finger and thumb thing and actually be on the phone!
 

Heart of Darkness

The final days of His Trolliness
Jul 1, 2009
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Am I hallucinating, or is this old news? I could've sworn this went on the news feed at some point in time in the past...

EDIT 11:52 pm: Not hallucinating: Tom Goldman also reported on this earlier this month [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98894-Human-Skin-Becomes-the-Ultimate-Portable-Touchscreen].
 

Ranooth

BEHIND YOU!!
Mar 26, 2008
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Heart of Darkness said:
Am I hallucinating, or is this old news? I could've sworn this went on the news feed at some point in time in the past...
Same here, i know i've seen this before on here.
 

Avatar Roku

New member
Jul 9, 2008
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Heart of Darkness said:
Am I hallucinating, or is this old news? I could've sworn this went on the news feed at some point in time in the past...
Something similar did, it was like a projector that lets you use a wall as a touch screen.
 

Heart of Darkness

The final days of His Trolliness
Jul 1, 2009
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orannis62 said:
Heart of Darkness said:
Am I hallucinating, or is this old news? I could've sworn this went on the news feed at some point in time in the past...
Something similar did, it was like a projector that lets you use a wall as a touch screen.
It wasn't that, some other article or column also brought up Skinput. It might've been in Lauren Admire's Science!, but I'm not sure. I'm doing a little digging to see if it is up somewhere.
 

Abedeus

New member
Sep 14, 2008
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Holy beeping Batman Christ.

It's better than Mass Effect's "holo-touch-screens". Especially since if you can use it on your skin, you can use it... pretty much anywhere.

I've seen some holo-keyboards before, but this is way advanced.
 

SharedProphet

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Oct 9, 2008
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Human Skin Becomes the Ultimate Portable Touchscreen [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98894-Human-Skin-Becomes-the-Ultimate-Portable-Touchscreen] (Tom Goldman, March 5, source PCWorld [http://api.viglink.com/api/click?key=6da47bc4afaf3146dd0f75392c91e0f2&v=1&libId=1270050435651&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.escapistmagazine.com%2Fnews%2Fview%2F98894-Human-Skin-Becomes-the-Ultimate-Portable-Touchscreen&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fsourceid%3Dchrome%26ie%3DUTF-8%26q%3Dsite%253Aescapistmagazine.com%2Bskinput&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcworld.com%2Farticle%2F190744%2Fskinput_transforms_your_body_into_a_touchsensitive_input_device.html&txt=PCWorld&title=The%20Escapist%20%3A%20News%20%3A%20Human%20Skin%20Becomes%20the%20Ultimate%20Portable%20Touchscreen&format=go]).
 

Heart of Darkness

The final days of His Trolliness
Jul 1, 2009
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SharedProphet said:
Human Skin Becomes the Ultimate Portable Touchscreen [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98894-Human-Skin-Becomes-the-Ultimate-Portable-Touchscreen] (Tom Goldman, March 5, source PCWorld [http://api.viglink.com/api/click?key=6da47bc4afaf3146dd0f75392c91e0f2&v=1&libId=1270050435651&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.escapistmagazine.com%2Fnews%2Fview%2F98894-Human-Skin-Becomes-the-Ultimate-Portable-Touchscreen&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fsourceid%3Dchrome%26ie%3DUTF-8%26q%3Dsite%253Aescapistmagazine.com%2Bskinput&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcworld.com%2Farticle%2F190744%2Fskinput_transforms_your_body_into_a_touchsensitive_input_device.html&txt=PCWorld&title=The%20Escapist%20%3A%20News%20%3A%20Human%20Skin%20Becomes%20the%20Ultimate%20Portable%20Touchscreen&format=go]).
Ah, dammit, you beat me to finding the link. CURSE YOU!!!
 

hazabaza1

Want Skyrim. Want. Do want.
Nov 26, 2008
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Holy...
We're catching up to imaginary worlds! This is awesome!

Now, let's find a way to play some high end games on there for those long car rides.
 

Crimson_Dragoon

Biologist Supreme
Jul 29, 2009
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I have seen the future, and it is now.

Seriously, I want to play Tetris on my hand. That's just awesome.
 

Voltano

New member
Dec 11, 2008
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On-Topic: Interesting technology. I think I saw something similar to this in using a camera with the User that goes over their neck, but this sounds like it would be easier to maintain.

Off-Topic: I'm suspecting that this article is a mistake as I have seen it done here before. On the other hand, tomorrow is April Fools. >.>