Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK
Comments: ...This paper presents the Peppermill, which is a wireless and batteryless interaction device. The device is powered by the user and momentarily sends out a digital signal.
The paper gives some background on user-powered devices, beginning with the Zenith Space Commander developed in 1955. The authors also mention MIT's user-powered button. Both these devices have the limitation that power is generated and therefore interaction only happens on the down-press of a button. The authors aim to improve on this idea by providing a method for richer interaction.
The method they came up with is a rotary control that is powered when the user twists the device. The user can twist the knob in 2 directions with varying speeds. A simple circuit detects the direction and speed along with a set of modifiers consisting of three buttons. This simple device is thus capable of very rich interaction.
The authors give an example of usage for this device by using it to control a video browsing application. When no buttons are pressed, a set of videos is cycled through, much like changing the channels on a tv. The speed of rotation controls the speed of video cycling, and the direction controls the direction of cycling. When the green button is held down and the control is rotated, the volume is adjusted. Once again, the speed of rotation controls the speed by which the volume is adjusted and the direction determines if the volume is adjusted up or down.
The authors talked a bit about future work, most notably a method of providing haptic feedback to the user while the knob is being turned.
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I was intrigued by this control, not only because it is human-powered, but also because of its unique interaction style. When I first looked at how this device is used, I actually didn't know it was human-powered. I am impressed with the versatility of a device that has no batteries or cord.
This method of interaction, especially without batteries, got me thinking about our own projects. I wonder if we can come up with a glove that is somehow human-powered. That would allow for greater motion than the wired gloves, and would not need batteries, like the wireless gloves need.
1 comments of glory:
I think it could be possible. In a regular game, users would be moving their hands a lot, that movement could be use to generate power for the glove.
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