WiSee Detects Your Gestures Using WiFi
Want to control your TV or stereo with a simple wave of the hand and from any room in the house? A new gesture detection system that operates on a WiFi network might just make that a possibility.
Developed by researchers at the University of Washington, WiSee utilizes the WiFi connection you already have in your home to allow you to turn down the stereo or change the TV channel just by moving your body.
And unlike other gesture detection systems, like Kinect or Leap Motion, WiSee doesn't require the use of cameras, so you don't have to stand in front of the TV or computer to use it. In fact, it even works through walls, so you can control appliances or electronics in a different room.
WiSee leverages the wireless signals from the devices you have in your home, like smartphones, tablets and laptops. These wireless signals bounce off the human body and are sent back to the wireless router, where they are analyzed and can be used to control everything from temperature and lighting to electronic appliances.
And thanks to multiple-input, multiple-outlet (MIMO) technology, WiSee can even detect gestures from more than one user. Each user has his or her own set of identifying gestures that they must perform before issuing gesture-commands.
According to the researchers, the prototype for the new system can already identify and classify a set of nine gestures with an average of 94 percent accuracy.
And researchers believe that installing this revolutionary new system could be as simple as plugging in a WiFi router equipped with WiSee software. [See also: Sound Waves Allow Computer to Detect and Obey Gestures]
New applications for gesture control have been gaining a lot of momentum lately, with the popular live-streaming music site Grooveshark recently adding the gesture detection app Flutter for keyboard-weary users. And new, tiny Kinect sensors could soon be bringing gesture recognition to your smartphone or tablet.
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