A Camera-Based Input Device for Large Interactive Displays

  • Authors:
  • Gerald D. Morrison

  • Affiliations:
  • Smart Technologies

  • Venue:
  • IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications
  • Year:
  • 2005

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Abstract

Humanýcomputer interaction using large-format displays is an active area of research that focuses on how humans can better work with computers or other machines. For this to happen, there must be an enabling technology that creates the interface between man and machine. Touch capabilities in a large-format display would be advantageous as a large display area is informationally dense and touch provides a natural, life-size interface to that information. This article describes a new enabling technology in the form of a camera-based man-machine input device that uses smart cameras to analyze a scene directly in front of a large-format computer display. The analysis determines where a user has touched the display, and then treats that information as a mouse click, thereby controlling the computer. Significant technological problems have been overcome to make the system robust enough for commercialization. The article also describes camera-based system architecture and presents some interesting advantages as well as new capabilities. The technology is ideally suited to large-format computer displays, thus creating a natural interface with familiar usage paradigms for humanýcomputer interaction.