Arm Skeleton for Capturing Arm Position and Movement

• US 20080036737A1
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: George Washington University
• Original Assignee: George Washington University
• Inventors: Hernandez-Rebollar, Jose
• Application Number:
  US11/836,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20080036737A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

A wearable computer input apparatus for the human arm having arm skeleton for inputting arm and hand position data and movement data into a computer, one or more 3-axis analog accelerometers and programmable micro controller(s).

Claims

1. A wearable computer input apparatus for the human arm, comprising:

an input assembly for detecting position and movement of the human arm, and a computer connected to said input assembly and generating an output signal for producing a visual or audible output corresponding to said position and movement, wherein said input assembly comprises an arm skeleton to be worn by a user, said arm skeleton having;

i) at least one 3-axis sensor for detecting dynamic arm movements;

ii) an elbow sensor for detecting and measuring flexing and positioning of the forearm about the elbow; and

iii) a shoulder sensor for detecting movement and position of the arm with respect to the shoulder.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said input assembly further comprises a frame having a first section for coupling to the upper arm of the user and a second section for coupling to the forearm of the user, said first sections being coupled together by a hinge, said elbow sensor being positioned on said frame for measuring flexing and positioning of the forearm, and second section.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said shoulder sensor is coupled to said first section of said frame.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said shoulder sensor comprises a first sensor for detecting twisting of the arm.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said first sensor of said shoulder sensor comprises a resistive angular sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said shoulder sensor further comprises an accelerometer for detecting motion, elevation and position of the upper arm with respect to the shoulder.

7. The wearable computer input apparatus for the human arm of claim 1, further comprising a data input glove which includes a plurality of sensors attached thereto to detect vertical orientation and movement of said glove, lateral orientation and movement of said glove, and longitudinal orientation and movement of said glove.

8. A method for translating position and movement input from a wearable arm skeleton for the human arm into computer readable output, comprising:

a) determining an initial and final position of the arm, and a movement of the arm, the movement occurring between the initial and final position, the initial and final position and the movement measured by a plurality of sensors;

b) matching a determined initial position of the arm with one or more initial positions of all known positions of the arm within a database, and defining a first list of candidate outputs whose position matches the determined initial position;

c) matching a captured movement of the arm with one or more movements of all known movements of the arm within said database, and defining a second list of candidate outputs whose movement matches the determined movements;

d) converting the position and movement outputs into computer readable data to be displayed as text, images, audio, or two and three part combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said method transmits ASCII characters to be displayed as text or synthesized as voice in a language other than English for use in sign language.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the method outputs computer readable data which is used in an application for a device selected from:

robotics, virtual reality, tele-manipulation, tele-presence, or sign language translation.