Soon, gesture recognition system sans batteries to control electronic devices

Researchers including an Indian origin have built a low-cost gesture recognition system that runs without batteries and lets users control their electronic devices hidden from sight with simple hand movements.

The prototype, called "AllSee," uses existing TV signals as both a power source and the means for detecting a user's gesture command.

Shyam Gollakota, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering, said that this is the first gesture recognition system that can be implemented for less than a dollar and doesn't require a battery, asserting that they can leverage TV signals both as a source of power and as a source of gesture recognition.

The researchers built a small sensor that can be placed on an electronic device such as a smartphone. The sensor uses an ultra-low-power receiver to extract and classify gesture information from wireless transmissions around us. When a person gestures with the hand, it changes the amplitude of the wireless signals in the air.

The AllSee sensors then recognize unique amplitude changes created by specific gestures.

Sensors use three to four times less power than existing gesture recognition systems by harvesting power from wireless transmissions. This allows for mobile devices to always have the gesture technology on and enabled.