Smartphones will learn to see a person with ultrasound

The Norwegian company Elliptic Labs for several years engaged in research in the field of computer management, smartphones and tablets using ultrasound. This technology will allow you to scroll through the browser page or flip through photos without touching the screen of your device.

Yes, a similar interface has already been demonstrated by some large companies. Owners of Samsung’s flagship smartphones, for example, can answer calls without touching the screen. But in their case the front camera is used, not ultrasonic waves, which severely limits the functionality of this control method.

The most popular device today that is able to read human gestures in 3D space is the Kinect sensor, developed by engineers from Israeli company PrimeSense, and later acquired by Microsoft. He uses infrared light, which covers the space around him invisible to the human eye with tags, and then reads these tags using two video cameras, thereby determining the distance to objects and their exact location in the room. Kinect has only one serious limitation - a very narrow viewing angle.

Using sound waves instead of light solves this problem. Elliptic Labs engineers have developed a special microchip that allows the tablet or smartphone to “see” almost everything around them. A 180 degree viewing angle allows the user to effectively use gestures above or below the device, and not just directly in front of the screen. You can interact with your device at a distance of about a meter, and at the same time he will perfectly understand what you want from him.

The head of Elliptic Labs, Lila Danielson, said that the main advantage of using sound over infrared light is low power consumption. This is, of course, a very critical moment for any mobile technology.

Contactless interaction with mobile devices can be very useful in everyday life. Many of us love to eat, glancing at the same time on the screen of your favorite smartphone or tablet, and flipping through the pages with fat fingers - moveton pure. At a distance, you can scroll through the songs, add and decrease the volume if the smartphone is used as a home music player. There are a great many ways to use this technology in practice.

Within the framework of the Japanese exhibition CEATEC, which took place this year, the Elliptic Labs technology was recognized as the “Innovation of the Year”. The chip, developed in the company, allows you to embed an ultrasound system in almost any Android smartphone. Currently, representatives of the company are negotiating with several Asian electronics manufacturers on the introduction of their developments in their certain models of smartphones and tablets.

The article is based on materials https://hi-news.ru/gadgets/smartfony-nauchatsya-videt-cheloveka-s-pomoshhyu-ultrazvuka.html.