Wave hello to Microsoft’s big idea

It may not be too far when you will be able to operate your laptop using gesture control technology powered by sound waves alone, according to researchers at Microsoft’s Redmond-based lab facility.

The basic objective of the research is to understand whether or not the sound wave technology alone can serve as a reliable and speedy motion-sensing tool that is widely in use in computers, television, and mobile phones, revealed lead study author Desney Tan.

The research head pointed out that the sound wave technology could turn out to be a useful gesture control method given that many smart phones and laptops are rolling out into the market with built-in speakers and microphones.

The idea to explore sound waves as a motion-sensing solution surfaced last summer, when the Microsoft team were trying to generate haptic effects using ultrasonic transducers. One of the researchers observed that a sound wave was detecting physical movements.

Convinced by the serendipitous discovery that sound waves could provide the all-important solution to spotting gestures, the researchers shifted their focus to the existing sonic sensors in laptops and mobile phones to track movements.

Based on the findings, Tan suggested that using a simple sound wave software can do the trick for mobile phones or laptops with built-in sound systems capable of functioning in the ultrasonic band.

Commenting on the latest development, graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University Chris Harrison said the new technology is compatible with existing hardware and a basic software update and has tremendous potential.

Tan’s team tested the efficacy and speed of the sound wave technology by playing a game of Tetris using motion sensor.

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