Popularization of gesture interfaces

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is a field of research that studies ways in which humans and computers can interact. Gesture interfaces is a particular area of interested situated inside this field. It is about HCI techniques based on the interpretation the users' movement of the head or limbs, and it also relates to haptics. This thesis examines the field's advances made until the present day and analyses how the people have benefited from it. The aim of the research is to find if gestural interaction has been propagating, its use increased, and identify ways of disseminating gesture interaction and HCI to the general population. A further concern is to improve the distribution of the benefits from HCI and gesture interfaces, reaching out also to a population that is often left disregarded - the developing nations. This is done by reviewing previous work on gesture interfaces under HCI and Computer Vision. This provides the grounds for defining the ideal technology or technique which can facilitate the development of gesture interfaces that are accessible to ordinary users, and can be used in their routine. This definition helps identifying the technology which can best provide for massification of gesture interfaces: the Nintendo Wii Remote controller (Wiimote). After selecting the Wiimote as the best device, it is examined in order to analyze what deficiencies and qualities it has. The technologies it carries are also looked into in detail in order to comprehend the possibilities of connectivity with other devices. This technology is put to test and evaluated both from technical point of view (implementation learning curve, tools, flexibility), and user experience (usability, stress, efficiency). A series of recommendations follow on how to proceed with further implementation of tools and applications that assist users and current interaction models, and can help to change the way they interact with computers. After the initial steps of constructing a test application, it is concluded that the Wiimote is not an appropriate device for this application to build on top of. The proposed approach and design cannot accomplish the goals of a gesture interface due to problems related to the dependency on a fundamental external component. Although the Wiimote is clearly fit for many gesture interfaces, its use and applications are limited, it can only serve a definite number of scenarios. Asiasanat:haptics, Nintendo Wii, gesture, computer visio