Facebook seeks patent for innovation tailored to recognise gestures

Objects to be tracked using light detection device

Social media major Facebook has applied for patent protection in India for its innovation related to recognising gestures, which could be useful in various gesture recognition systems, virtual reality and others.
 

The patent application, filed with the Indian Patent Office, is for identifying an object based on the light it emits. The company elaborates that the invention is related to recognising object using optical projections onto a scene and is capable of detecting and tracking a user hand in three dimensions.

Predefined gestures or postures of a user's body parts may control a device, in which the computer or other device performs a function or an action by identifying a gesture of the user. There are several conventional methods for identifying gestures.

The company claims that in its method, an object within a volume is tracked by providing an encoded light beam and the light reflected from the volume is detected by a detector.

According to various reports, the company has been pursuing gesture recognition and related technologies in the recent past. Back in 2015, the firm finalised a deal to acquire the Israel-based start up Pebbles- a firm renowned for its gesture control technology enabling users to see images of their arms within VR headsets. The acquisition was through Facebook's virtual reality division Oculus.

At present, several technology firms provide gesture control technology to users with help of gadgets. According to recent reports, some companies are integrating gesture control system with Apple's augmented reality developer tool ARKit.