Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and Aalto University calculate the easiest way to interact by gestures of hand and fingers using a camera-based input device. Owing to recent achievements in computer vision, modern algorithms can recognize even multi-finger gestures in a video stream. The research groups around professors Oulasvirta and Theobalt used this as a basis to develop a set of hand and finger gestures that can control a computer and even enable efficient text entry in mid-air, eliminating the necessity of tactile devices. To this end, the scientists developed a model that makes use of the dexterity of the human hand and takes also into account its physiological particularities. Using the model, they optimized the gestures regarding high performance, anatomical constraints, and learnability.
