Magic Finger turns any surface into a touchscreen

Autodesk Research is developing an optical finger input that promises to turn any surface into a touchscreen.

Created in collaboration with the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto, the Magic Finger relies on a high resolution RGB micro camera and an optical sensor to allow contextual actions to be carried out based on the particular surface being touched.

Initial experiments have shown the device to be capable of detecting and distinguish between 32 different surface textures with 98.9% accuracy.

As well as the ability to read miniature 2D matrix codes, the Magic Finger features input and control functions that allow it to be used for data transfer and a pinch function that can be programmed to trigger computer commands.

More information is available in the video below.

Author
Laura Hopperton

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