A Brief Introduction to Skinput Technology

    Skinput, This is an entirely different term and I bet many of the folks haven't heard even a single word about it. If you heard this word first time, there is no big issue, you're with the 70% of the population. Skinput, what's your first though when you heard this word. It's a fusion of two different words Skin + Input. Conventionally, We are using touch screen phones in which a sensitive screen(whether resistive or capacitive) is used for input bur after going through this post, This revolutionary technology entirely blow your mind.

      In 2010, Chris Harrison from Carnegie Mello University, Microsoft Research Center proposed an idea of using skin to provide input. You probably seen this sort of things in some Hollywood movies but now it is possible in real life. Devices with high functionalities and significant processing power can now easily be carried out on our bodies. Using Human Skin as input is appealing not only because an average human have approximately 2 meters of exposed surface area of skin but also most of them easily in the range of our hands.

This technology works on Three basic components :-

1. Bio-Acoustics Sensors - It's a part of this technology, basically a armband type element consists of sensors which captures various kind of skin vibrations produced whenever a user touches skin surfaces.
2. Pico-Projector - It is basically a very tiny projector which displays the menu or Graphical User Interface. This projector is very microsized connects to the phone.
3. Bluetooth - The very last thing you need is a bluetooth device to connect the Bio-Acoustics Sensor to the mobile which is necessary to transfer information to other devices like mobile, laptops etc. 

Working

      As user taps on the skin, The vibrations from the skin tap produces longitudinal and transverse waves, which are continuously monitored by sensors. These sensors predict exact location of skin part where finger is tapped with over 95% Accuracy. These vibrations or signals from skin converted into electrical signals by these sensors and transmitted to the device through wireless channel like bluetooth.

      A pico-projector is also involved as an output device to show device's operating projected on the arm and display GUI and menus. This kind of projectors generally used in mobiles and cameras.  

Design

      The prototype armband has two arrays, each contains 5 sensing elements are designed in such a way that each sensor is susceptible to a particular range of frequencies. This armband employed with a mackie onyx1200f audio interface which digitally captures data from all the sensors, which is connected to a conventional Bluetooth device like laptop, or phone.  

Advantages

1. No need to interact with the gadget repeatedly. You can simply manage your stuff just from your arm and some gestures.
2. Sometimes peoples with larger hands and fingers may face problem in typing or accessing keypad. With this technology they get rid of that sort of problems(Projector can be zoomed in or out).
3. This system performed fantastic even the body is in the motion. i.e. you can text, type or manage all the device functionalities even while running, walking or jogging.
4. Your arm itself acts as an gadget, which works well in the absence of the mobile.

Disadvantages 

1. Visually impaired peoples can't use this technology.
2. It is also mandatory to carry armband every time, which is slightly bulky to carry always.
3. If a person having BMI more than 30%, then its accuracy drops directly to 80% because more fleshy skin cause more resistance during traversal of the waves.
4. The visibility of the display on arm compromised by various factors like:- Skin color tone, Day or Night, Tattoo or any other skin marks.