Hop On To The Future With Gesture Recognition And Controls

Have you ever imagined how primitive man would have lived in caves, eating fruits and seeds? Oh! We fetched far, right? Okay. Let’s try again, have you imagined your world without technology? We assume that you must be feeling like a primitive man now. Don't be scared, reality remains the same. We live in a technological world that is evolving with each passing day. No one would have imagined that the year 2054 in Minority Report would soon be the reality of today. The transition has already begun. New advancements in technology have made it possible to interact with digital devices without having to touch them. #YesReally

Gesture Recognition And Controls have been gaining a lot of traction lately. From the introduction of Apple's Siri to the emergence of Kinect motion-sensing devices, it's clear that gesture control is here to stay. Gestures are a form of non-verbal communication; they can indicate more than just what you're feeling or saying. It's not all about the touch screen though - there are several other ways in which we can control things with gestures.

Without keeping you in suspense for long, let us dive straight into A to Z about Gesture Recognition And Controls!
 

Let’s Begin By Understanding What Is Gesture Recognition And Controls?

It left everyone awestruck when Tom Cruise, the protagonist of Minority Report, used his hand motion to seamlessly scroll through and manipulate visual data on a wall-sized screen. We are not quite there yet; however, powerful Gesture Recognition And Controls technology has been used in art installations, interactive art pieces and even in computer games. In fact, many believe that gesture interaction with controls will be how we play video games in the future.

So, what is Gesture Recognition And Controls? It is a part of computer science and language technology that aims to enable devices to recognize meaningful and simple gestures, so users can control or interact with devices without physically touching them. Gesture control or gesture recognition system has the ability to carry out an action based on the recognized gesture.

For example, there are gloves that can translate sign language into speech or text which were invented by Lemelson MIT scientists. Yes, you read it right! Wondering, how? The sensors in these gloves record simple hand gestures with their positions and movement. This data is then sent to a central computer via Bluetooth and analyzed. The recognizable gesture is then matched to words or phrases and played through a speaker. #NoMagicOnlyTechnology

Gestures can come from any bodily motion or state. They originate from the hands and face most of the time, though they could also come from a different body part. At present, gesture recognition is mainly centered on hand gesture recognition and facial recognition.

Now that we know what Gesture Recognition And Controls refer to, let's hop onto the next section to know its roots!
 

Tracing The Roots Of Gesture Recognition And Controls

 
Careful chief, dig up the past; all you will get is its roots.

Without further ado, let's dig into the past of Gesture Recognition And Controls. Though the development of gestural recognition is closely correlated to how well it could be captured, the devices are constantly evolving in order to capture gestures.

It began in the 1960s when researchers started using tablets and special pencils that capture writing, touch-sensitive interfaces or pointing devices. In 1969, Myron Krueger started working with virtual reality prototypes and was the first to claim that the future is possible without screens. In the 1980s, movement captured by wearing gloves with sensors for flexion and position started, while in the 1990s, work on identifying gestures in images and videos with computer vision methods increased. During this time, work with real-time recognition and control systems started and gesture-tracking systems were made available.

There are still many promising advances being made in gesture control technology today, however, it's not quite mainstream yet. However, one day it seems inevitable that we will see devices that recognize our movements and will carry out actions based on how we are interacting with them in some way, shape or form. There is so much potential for this technology in our everyday lives and we can't wait to see what innovations come out next!

After knowing the past, let's unveil how this technology works in our next section.
 

How Does Gesture Recognition And Controls Work?

 
On the outside, they look peaceful, however inside, busy, busy, busy, busy.
This is what Gesture Recognition And Controls look like. It seems simple, cool and easy to use from the outside. However, a lot of mathematical algorithms are going on inside it. Let's know the step-by-step working of this technology.
 

• Step 1

  A camera detects movements and feeds image data to a computer or mobile device. The sensing device uses an infrared sensor or projector for calculating depth and motion.

• Step 2

  The Software Development Kit (SDK) interprets the image data to identify movements and gestures.

• Step 3

  The SDK matches gestures from a predetermined gesture library where each gesture is matched to a computer command.

• Step 4

  The software correlates each registered real-time gesture, interprets the gesture and identifies its associated meaning of the gesture from the library.

• Step 5

  Once the gesture is solved, a command correlated to that specific gesture is executed. The result is displayed on a screen or played by a speaker, among other ways.

After knowing it's working, let's know the applications of gesture recognition technology in the following section.
 

Applications Of Gesture Recognition And Controls In The Real World

 

Unlike the use of Gesture Recognition And Controls shown in Minority Report, in our real world, this technology can be used in various fields apart from detecting crime. #SorryForSpoilers
Some of its applications are as follows:
 

• Entertainment Sector

  Gaming consoles such as Wii, PlayStation Eye and Kinect

• Consumer Electronics Sector

  Gesture recognition can be integrated into smartphones, tablets, surface tables, and so on.

• Automotive Sector

  Gesture-based automobiles will allow drivers with handsfree operations

• Healthcare Sector

  Kinect-based systems for the physical rehabilitation of people with motor disabilities are a reality

• Education Sector

  Gesture-based software can allow students to interact with various content enhancing their experience.

Now that we know it’s a real-time application, let's hop on to our next section to know why we really need Gesture Recognition And Controls.
 

Need For Gesture Recognition And Controls

Yes, we do! Do you remember the time when touchscreen technology was introduced? Many of us were happy as we no longer need to use the physical buttons of our TV remote or navigational systems in cars or those pesky tiny buttons on older smartphones. Well as times change, more and more people think that touchscreens of public devices such as informational tables are unhygienic and contribute to spreading diseases. For car drivers, touchscreens are often unsafe as it distracts them from driving to perform operations such as navigation. Touchscreens are not always convenient to use when you try to click elements that are small in size.

Touchless interfaces can solve these problems with Gesture Recognition And Controls functionality. Touchless devices do not require us to touch the actual screen to control the device. Instead, we can use facial gestures and hand commands. This is more convenient, hygienic, innovative and appealing for a wide range of users.

Sounds futuristic, right? Well, hold on as the next section will let you know the road to the future for this awesome technology. Let’s go!
 

Future Of Gesture Recognition And Controls

We have all wished to use Gesture Recognition And Controls technology, most likely having seen Tom Cruise use it! Well, our dreams will soon be true.

Gesture Recognition And Controls are expected to be adopted at a rapid pace due to low technical complexity for end-users as well as its broad range of applications in various sectors. Technology behemoths have already launched their own beta versions of Gesture Recognition And Controls products. For example, Google will provide gesture interactions on its mobile phones and smart speakers. Apple has submitted a patent regarding those applications of gestures on smart speakers.

There is a lot more potential for this technology in factories and workshops where workers may not always be able to take off gloves to use touchscreens. Even in daily life, such as using appliances or gaming, gesture recognition will become a standard option. We believe most devices with cameras will soon have the option to operate them with hand gestures. The future is bright for Gesture Recognition And Controls!
 

The End

Not only in movies but also in reality Gesture Recognition And Controls technology has come a long way. It is one of the most innovative technologies that can make the process of using smart devices easier. Gesture Recognition And Controls are the next steps in the evolution of human-computer interaction. As more and more users adopt the gesture-based interface, it will not only be here to stay but be more in demand across devices and applications. The convenience of not touching any buttons or screens will be too good to pass up for many people, right?