After developing a concept that can interact with other devices through nose commands, a group of researchers are rethinking how smartglasses are used.
Computer scientists from KAIST University in South Korea, Keio University in Japan, the University of St Andrews in Scotland and the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US decided that, instead of trying to overlay augmented reality elements, a pair of smartglasses would be better served as a way to assist the likes of computers and smartphones.
This is achieved through the integration of electrooculography (EOG) sensors located on the bridge and nose pads of the glasses, meaning the wearer’s nose movements are tracked in order to correspond with certain smart commands.
As shown in the demonstration below, the smartglasses, which have the look of regular frames despite their smart capabilities, are able to decipher the difference between when the nose is being held, rubbed or flicked by the user. This means that a nose flick from the left could skip a song, while a simple rub could pause a video being watched on YouTube.
The group have now published a paper— ‘ItchyNose: Discreet Gesture Interaction using EOG Sensors in Smart Eyewear’ — which is set to be presented at the International Symposium on Wearable Computers.
With augmented reality as a smartglasses competitor in terms of its practical elements, it’s unlikely this ever becomes more than a fun concept. However, if this or a similar device does somehow wind up being mainstream, just make sure you don’t start rubbing your nose too often — people might start asking questions.
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