Gesture control via Smartphones

16 July 2013

Development service provider, Berner & Mattner has submitted a feasibility study on the subject of HMI: ‘Smart Multi-Axis Control’ which implements control of a multi-axis grabbing arm using intuitive gestures made on a commercially available smartphone.

The study looks at how the Smartphone’s sensors transmit movement data to the MESSINA real-time platform using a Java server. This data can then be instantly converted into control commands for the robotic grabbing arm.

The rapid spread of powerful and inexpensive sensors on mobile devices and the ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) trend are opening up new possibilities in the industrial user interface sector. Instead of using buttons, switches, or other classical interfaces to enter data on machines or devices, manufacturers are looking for opportunities to implement cost-effective and flexible user concepts based on tablet PCs.

“Our teams have already realised modern HMI concepts on a variety of mobile devices for numerous manufacturers,” explained Dr. Michael Sturm, spokesperson for the current proof-of-concept project group for ‘Smart Multi-Axis Control.’

“The new study shows that tablets and smartphones are no longer just being used as classic input devices. We use the smartphone’s gyroscope and accelerometer to achieve a new method of controlling multi-axis systems. The added bonus: Most humans are capable of intuitive and precise hand-eye coordination, which means it is possible to learn to properly control the device in just a few minutes.”



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