Hover imaging

Virtual transparency aided back touch and hover pad

The following two projects explore extending the interactive region behind and above the display. Both projects use Wedge optics to fold imaging paths to a few millimeters thick and enable unique human-computer interactions.

By placing a Wedge light-guide and capacitive touch film behind a tablet, the “Back Touch” prototype enables virtual transparency and touch interactions with the back of a device. A semi-transparent video overlay lets the user see their hands “through” the device. This provides visual feedback of touch location without completely obscuring content with fingers.

The Hover Pad prototype has an upward facing Wedge lens with transparent capacitive touch film on top. This enables fingers to be detected both on and hovering above the touch pad surface. The Wedge image is processed using computer vision algorithms to determine finger locations above the surface. As with a mouse, the user has accurate position feedback of click locations before committing. The prototype uses the capacitive touch sensor for relative finger movement only- there is no jump in cursor position when transitioning from hover to touch. Detection of hovering fingers also enables in-air gestures.