UbiTouch: Towards a Universal Touch Interface

TL;DR

UbiTouch is a thermal imaging-based system that enables natural, scalable touch interaction detection on various surfaces using low-computation algorithms, advancing human-computer interaction in ubiquitous environments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel thermal imaging approach for detecting multi-finger and hover interactions on arbitrary surfaces with lightweight algorithms.

Findings

Accurate detection of touch and hover states.

Effective multi-finger trajectory tracking.

Robust performance with low computational cost.

Abstract

Touch is one of the most intuitive ways for humans to interact with the world, and as we advance toward a ubiquitous computing environment where technology seamlessly integrates into daily life, natural interaction methods are essential. This paper introduces UbiTouch, a system leveraging thermal imaging to detect touch interactions on arbitrary surfaces. By employing a single thermal camera, UbiTouch differentiates between hovering and touch, detects multi-finger input, and completes trajectory tracking. Our approach emphasizes the use of lightweight, low-computation algorithms that maintain robust detection accuracy through innovative vision-based processing. UbiTouch aims to enable scalable, sustainable, and adaptable interaction systems for diverse applications, particularly with regards to on-human sensing.