Tracking hands above large interactive surfaces with a low-cost scanning laser rangefinder

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Abstract
A set of receive electrodes placed about the display perimeter provided signals that corresponded to body distance. Although this system responded well enough to body dynamics and location for its original application, the limited disambiguation from four receive electrodes was unable to result in a repeatable hand tracker without excessively constraining the body's posture and placement. We have developed an inexpensive scanning laser rangefinder to measure the real-time position of bare hands in a 2-D plane up to distances of several meters. We have used this device to build a precise, multipoint "touch- screen" interface for large video projection systems. In this paper, we describe the concepts and hardware, plus outline an application for an interactive multimedia environment. Other groups have implemented hand trackers using video cameras and computer vision techniques. Some (3) employ IR light sources and cameras behind a translucent rear- projected screen to see hands near the front, while others (4) use multiple cameras to observe a 2D gesture space. Like most vision approaches, the performance of these systems can suffer from background light (including light from the display itself in the latter case), image clutter, limited speed of response, and the need for multi-camera correspondence.

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