Engineering On The Edge

Autodesk Research has unveiled a solution for converting standard surfaces into touch interfaces. The Magic Finger is a small device that combines surface and motion detection in a thimble-sized form factor that can interpret finger gestures.

According to the company, the device senses touch through an optical mouse sensor. A micro RGB camera allows “contextual actions to be carried out based on the particular surface being touched.”

Magic Finger can accurately recognize 32 individual textures, meaning it can tell if its being run across a table vs. a pair of pants, and commands could be programmed that are specific to a surface. It can also read 2D bar codes. (Another fun feature: Users can turn their finger into a tiny periscope using the built-in camera.)

Autodesk Research developed the device in collaboration with the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta. You can see some potential applications in the video below:

Source: Autodesk Research