Microsoft's Digits hand-gesture sensor bracelet.

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A wrist-worn sensor that creates 3D-models of the user's hand movements in real-time has been built by Microsoft.  (A deaf application too ?).
The Digits prototype is part of an effort to create a mobile device that would allow its owner to control a range of equipment using hand gestures.  The firm said it could be used as a virtual TV control, a way to operate a smartphone while it is in the user's pocket, and to play video games.  It is designed to be less cumbersome and uncomfortable than sensor gloves.  However, some experts question whether consumers would want to wear such a device during their day-to-day activities.
The Digits sensor was developed at Microsoft's computer science laboratory at the University of Cambridge, with help from researchers at Newcastle University and the University of Crete.  It was unveiled at a conference on user-interface technology in Massachusetts, and a video showing off the product has been posted online.  Digits uses a camera-based sensor that detects infrared (IR) light coupled with software that interprets the data produced to construct a model of a "fully articulated hand skeleton". This is then used to interpret what the user's hand is doing.
The equipment involves a IR laser beam which sends out a thin line across the user's hand to measure the distance to their fingers and thumbs to determine to what degree they are bent upwards.  The device uses two types of infrared light to work out what shape the hand is makingIn addition a ring of IR light emitting diodes (LEDs) are used to illuminate the hand and determine the position of the user's fingertips.
IR light is used because it is invisible to the human eye and so not a distraction.  "The Digits sensor doesn't rely on external infrastructure which means users are not bound to a fixed space," said project leader David Kim.  "They can interact while moving from room to room or running down the street."  He added that the prototype had been built using existing off-the-shelf components, but there was scope to improve the equipment with customised parts.
"Ultimately we would like to reduce Digits to the size of a watch that can be worn all the time," he said.  "We want users to be able to interact spontaneously with their electronic devices using simple gestures and not even have to reach for their devices."  "This portable, mobile solution is an interesting development with potential for novel applications," Dr Richard Picking, reader in human-computer interaction at Glyndwr University, told the BBC.
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