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Wave good-bye to the TV remote control

16 July 2007

IET Journal is first to publish outcome of research=20 project.

Hand signals could soon replace remote controls for TVs, DVDs and = other=20 consumer electronics goods, research published in the Institution of = Engineering=20 and Technology=E2=80=99s (IET) Computer Vision Research Journal has = revealed.

Dr. Prashan Premaratne from the University of Wollongong and Quang = Nguyen=20 from the Australian National University, Canberra, say their method of=20 controlling consumer electronic goods via hand signals is ready for = use.

The researchers devised seven gestures to control a TV and VCR and = carried=20 out a number of experiments under different lighting conditions and at = different=20 distances from the equipment. Their work also involved designing = hardware and=20 software to recognise the hand gestures and turn them into actions in = real=20 time.

Dr. Premaratne said: =E2=80=9CWe all rely on remote controls to = manage an increasing=20 number of items including TVs, set top boxes, DVDs and Hi-Fi=E2=80=99s = and the range of=20 goods will continue to increase. Apart from the frustration of sometimes = mislaying the remote control just when you need it, they do tend to have = different sets of commands which have to be mastered.

=E2=80=9CPeople have tried to replace remote controls with voice = recognition or=20 glove-based devices but with mixed results. We set out to tackle the = problem=20 with a limited set of hand gestures that were distinctive and offered = higher=20 accuracy. The solution we came up with not only achieves this but also = uses only=20 low processing power, proved very robust in different lighting = conditions and=20 operated in real time,=E2=80=9D said Dr. Premaratne.

The system comprises a web camera, gesture processing unit, hardware=20 interface for the control unit and a universal remote control which is = built=20 into the device. The webcam captures the hand gestures and the software = converts=20 this into a signal which operates the remote controller. The series of = commands=20 devised by the researchers included switching the equipment on, turning = the=20 volume up and down, changing channel, play and stop.

Dr. Premaratne said the system can control up to eight items at a = time,=20 including DVDs and set top boxes, and is able to distinguish between = real=20 commands and unintentional gestures such as children playing.

Dr. Premaratne is with the School of Electrical, Computer and=20 Telecommunications Engineering, the University of Wollongong, = Australia.

Quang Nguyen is with the Research School of Information Science = and=20 Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT = Australia.

The full research paper: Consumer electronics control system = based on=20 hand gesture moment invariants, is published in the IET Computer = Vision=20 Research Journal. The abstract appears below and a full version is = available=20 from the IET Press Office:

Abstract from IET Computer Vision Research Journal: Almost all = consumer electronic equipment today uses remote controls for user = interfaces.=20 However, the variety of physical shapes and functional commands that = each remote=20 control features also raises numerous problems: the difficulties in = locating the=20 required remote control, the confusion with the button layout, the = replacement=20 issue and so on. The consumer electronics control system using hand = gestures is=20 a new innovative user interface that resolves the complications of using = numerous remote controls for domestic appliances. Based on one unified = set of=20 hand gestures, this system interprets the user hand gestures into = pre-defined=20 commands to control one or many devices simultaneously.The system has = been=20 tested and verified under both incandescent and fluorescent lighting = conditions.=20 The experimental results are very encouraging as the system produces = real-time=20 responses and highly accurate recognition towards various gestures.

Tony Henderson
Head of Media Relations=20 IET &nbs= p; = ;
T:=20 020 7344 8403
M: 07974=20 457565 &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp;
E:=20 tonyhenderson@theiet.org

Notes to editors:=20

The IET

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is one of the = world=E2=80=99s=20 leading professional societies for the engineering and technology = community. The=20 IET has more than 150,000 members in 127 countries and has offices in = Europe,=20 North America and Asia-Pacific. The Institution provides a global = knowledge=20 network to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas and promotes = the=20 positive role of Science, Engineering and Technology in the world.

For further information visit http://www.theiet.org/

IET Research Journals:

The IET publishes 20 internationally renowned Research Journals. The = journals=20 contain both original and review papers relating to all disciplines in=20 electrical, electronics, computing, control and communications = technologies.=20 Contributions are received from a worldwide authorship base. Each = contribution=20 is subject to rigorous peer-review using expert referees selected by the = Editors-in-chief. This process ensures that only the most significant = papers are=20 published