First real-time natural light 2D hand gesture recognition technology unveiled

WARWICK, UK: Software developed by researchers at the University of Warwick would allow the 2D cameras in everyday consumer electronic products, such as mobile phones and tablet computers, to become hand gesture recognition (HGR) devices in uncontrolled environments with both natural and artificial light. A patent application has been filed to PCT (International) Stage.

Since the early 1990s HGR has been intensively researched in both academic and industrial communities, but until now there have been no successful academic theories or commercial products that have performed robust HGR in uncontrolled environments.

Existing HGR technologies require infrared or 3D cameras and will only work in artificial light and have been limited to the gaming industry and smart TVs. The new technology, which can also recognise both gesture and posture, is more economical, practical to use and opens up the possibilities of HGR being used in the automotive, health and consumer electronics sectors.