Multi-hand Interaction Using Custom Capacitive Proximity Sensors

The recognition of gestures in free space using sensors that determine the proximity of a body mass based on electric field variance is a challenging research topic. Arrays of such capacitive proximity sensors allow the creation of novel user interaction systems based on recognizing presence and position of body parts and inferring performed gestures in three dimensions. These systems may be incorporated as unobtrusive remote control in home automation scenarios or automotive applications, for example as a smart car-dashboard. Present systems that use time-division multiplexing have limitations in their temporal and spatial resolution. In this thesis a novel capacitive proximity sensor system that uses a combination of frequency division and time division multiplex is presented, improving both temporal and spatial resolution. With this affordable system one is able to detect fast multi-hand gestures in three dimensions above large surface areas. Moreover, a method for object recognition using capacitive proximity sensors is extended and refined and a new object tracking method, employing particle filters is presented. A user evaluation emphasizes the feasibility of the presented capacitive sensing system as an explicit interaction modality