Midair writing no mirage

Sensor Review

ISSN: 0260-2288

Article publication date: 1 September 2003

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Keywords

Citation

(2003), "Midair writing no mirage", Sensor Review, Vol. 23 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2003.08723cab.008

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited


Midair writing no mirage

Midair writing no mirage

Keywords: VR, Sensors

A system, consisting of a special pen, a head-mounted display and a personal computer that enables users to see letters and illustrations written in midair, has been developed by a research team at Tamagawa University, in Kananagawa prefecture not far from both Tokyo and Yokohama. The AirPencil is equipped with a supersonic wave sensor and an acceleration sensor. The head-mounted display is also equipped with the same type of sensors.

When users wear the display and write letters or draw pictures in the air with the Airpencil, the pen's sensors and the display alike recognise the position/direction of the pen, the direction of the user's face, and other data. The data generated is transmitted to a computer by radiowave for storage.

Users see the letters and the pictures in the air through the head-mounted display and the positions of the letters and pictures appear change in line with the movements of the face. The research group believes that the system will help in spreading the so-called "wearable" computers.

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