Return to the archive index

Re: $20 key-glove

From: legacy@ieighty.net
Date: Mon Jun 22 15:07:00 1998
Newsgroups: comp.sys.wearables

In article <358E4F97.BAF7D10D@troi.cc.rochester.edu>,
  rpmc@troi.cc.rochester.edu wrote:

> Isn't this just a joystick style input? i.e. it only encodes a small
> number of inputs; up, down, left, right, etc.? I've seen the gloves but
> I've never used one, or looked at it too closely; how does it sense the
> hand position?

I dunno.  I've never had any first hand experience with a powerglove.  All I
know it that there are many companies that sell encoder boxes to convert the
signal to standard rs-232 serial.

> I'm not sure by your description, but are these on/off switches or
> variable resistance? A beter approach would be some sort of variable
> resistance, so the more you curled your finger you would get less/more
> resistance and you could measure the resistance and convert it into
> multiple signals so you would get say 'a' with a little curl, 'b' with a
> bit more, 'c' with a bunch, and 'd' when your finger is curled up so it
> touches your palm.  Then add sensing the finger move the other
> directions.  Aren't there pizoelectic materials that generate current
> when they are stretched? Maybe you could just make a whole form fitting
> glove with contacts scattered throughout and measure currents between
> contacts and convert them into characters for each.

Thats the idea I had, though I thought using peizos would be a little
expensive. The one I had had two incarnations; one with pot's and one with
microswithes off an old mouse. On the first I have 2 small pots.  They were a
neat kind, with resestance speints in them, so they would turn back to 0 by
themselves when the pull was lessened.	The second was just 3 on-and-off
microswitches, one for up, down, and enter. Most of my ideas work of the 'low
cost' theme.  But, it is quite a novel idea. I'd love to be able to operate
my HUD just by guesturing.  Perhaps use a few relays, then you could use a
standard keyboard generator module.

One more hand idea I'm in the middle of trying : A nifty Multi-glove-tester. 
It involves putting each probe of the meter on the first and second fingers. 
The really cool part it that the probe tips are retactable using the same
idea as a ball-point pen.  When you push on them , they retract and lock
above the fingernails, and one more push, or pressing them against a tabletop
or something will extend them again.  The 'on' switch is a pad on the 3rd
finger and the thumb.  So, touch those two together, and touch the probes
where you want and you have a one-handed meter.  The only problem is where to
mount the main display unit of the meter.

-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/   Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading

Return to archive index | Next message in thread


From Comp.sys.wearables Newsgroup Archive (CSW)
Maintained by R. Paul McCarty

Archive created with babymail