TapSix: A Palm-Worn Glove with a Low-Cost Camera Sensor that Turns a Tactile Surface into a Six-Key Chorded Keyboard by Detection Finger Taps

Abstract

TapSix is a one-handed wearable keyboard that enables typing in situations where using a keyboard is not possible. It detects finger taps on six virtual keys on a tactile surface while users can type without paying visual attention to their fingers. Its unique palm-worn design provides the stable view of all five fingers for the low-cost camera sensor, even when there is unusual motion in the upper limb. The captured image is processed using the proposed algorithm that both robustly detects finger taps on keys using only geometric features and measures the distance between each finger and the tactile surface. A new letter-to-tap mapping that fully utilizes the six keys in light of learnability, anatomical comfort, and algorithm accuracy is also proposed. We demonstrate the utility of TapSix in a virtual reality environment and evaluate the algorithm’s accuracy, typing performance, and user acceptance by comparing it with three commercial virtual reality interfaces. © 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.