New wave of remote control uses hand signals

FIGHTING over the television remote could soon be a thing of the past as Scottish scientists have found a way for people to control their homes with simple hand signals.

A wave of the hand could make curtains swish open, a thumbs up could switch the lights on in any room or a wiggle of fingers could change TV channels in a development akin to the future world portrayed in Minority Report, the sci-fi movie starring Tom Cruise.

Aberdeen University researchers developed the technology to help people with impaired speech or mobility to live independently. They estimate Smart House could be on sale by next year, costing as little as £100 to connect up an entire home.

For real-time control of devices in the home, a user signs into a standard laptop or smartphone camera wirelessly linked to household appliances.

The camera captures the hand gesture. Software then translates them into an instruction. The command is immediately communicated to a device in the home, switching it on or off or, in the case of a TV, changing the volume or channel. Dr Ernesto Compatangelo, founder of Technabling, the Aberdeen University spin-off behind the system, said the main challenge had been in programming the hand-held device to recognise the signal and convert it to a command. He said: “We are achieving this using affordable, off-the-shelf technologies. The onus is on the software as this is what makes the difference.”

The system integrates with existing appliances in the home, which if necessary can be upgraded with a connection box to receive digital signals.

A series of “pure gestures” can be employed as control commands, such as those used in sign language. Alternatively, users can personalise the system to recognise their own individual signals through repeated demonstration.

This ability to customise signals allows users with impaired mobility to select gestures they are able to perform.

The technology has proven successful in the lab at controlling a video player, allowing users to stop, pause and play recordings via hand gestures.

Field trials in Scottish homes are to start later this year to see how well the system performs in real-life environments.

Sense, the UK organisation supporting deaf and blind people, is in talks with the scientists over the design of the trial.

Joff McGill, from Sense, praised Smart House’s use of everyday technology to give back control and independence.

Dr Compatangelo said that the future of hand-signal control could extend beyond the home, perhaps even into driving cars.

The Smart House project is a spin-off of Technabling’s Portable Sign Language Translator system, which translates sign language into text, allowing users to communicate with those who do not understand signing. The translator allowed users to create customised signs, enabling them to develop signals for slang or jargon and improving personal communication.