Sixth Sense of Computing augments the physical world with digital information

What is known as the Sixth Sense of Technology is a gestural interface device. It comprises of a neck-worn pendant which contains a camera and a data projector. It is a name for extra information which is supplied by a wearable computer, like the device WuW or Wear yoUr World. In this technology, a camera is combined with a light source and was developed as a head worn gadget in the year 1997. In 1998 it is a neck worn object.

The interface augments the physical world around with digital information and allows people to use natural hand gestures for interacting with the information. Over thousands of years, people have evolved to sense the world using the five natural senses to perceive information. However, the most useful information that could help make the right decision is not inherently perceivable with the five senses, such as data, knowledge and information that man has accumulated about everything and is increasingly available online. While it's true that computing devices allow people to carry computers in their pockets, keeping a person continually connected to the digital world, there's no link between the gadgets and people's interactions with the physical world.

Information is traditionally restricted on paper or digitally on screen. Sixth Sense of computing bridges the gap, bringing digital, intangible data into the tangible world. Moreover, it allows interacting with info through natural hand gestures. The tool frees information from its confines through easy integration with reality and so making the whole world one's computer. Both camera and projector are connected to a mobile device that is in the user's pocket. The projector projects visual information that enables walls, surfaces and physical objects around to be used as interface. On the other hand, the camera will recognize and could track the hand gestures of users, as well as physical objects with the use of computer-vision based techniques.

The software processes the wide stream that is captured by the camera and traces the locations of colored markers, which are visual tracking fiducials at the tip of the fingers using simple computer-vision methods. The arrangements and movements of the fingers are constrained only by the number of unique fiducials. Therefore, Sixth Sense supports multi-touch and multi-user interaction as well. Additionally, the prototype implements various applications which demonstrate a system's viability, usefulness and flexibility. The map application allows a user to navigate a map displayed on a nearby surface with hand gestures, the same to the gestures supported by Multi-Touch based systems, allowing a user to zoom in or out or pan using intuitive movements of the hand.

The drawing app of the device enables users to draw on any surface through tracking the movements of the fingertips of the index finger. Moreover, the device will also recognize free hand gestures. It implements a gestural camera which takes photos of the scene that the use is looking at via detecting the 'framing' gesture. Sixth Sense is truly a useful device that is portable and cost-effective. It could access data directly from the machines in real time. Additionally, it could mind map the idea anywhere and is an open source software.

Ritesh Mehta is the Sales Director at TatvaSoft Australia, a Software & mobile app development company. For Over 15 years, he has been professionally active in financial management, software development.