Scratch Input (Chris Harrison, Scott Hudson) - UIST '08

[xpez]

an acoustic guitar pickup does this exactly...and it has a sticky surface to stick to many things... probably a more sophisticated technology...

[Magarielle1]

english >.< aaarrgh! i don't understand anything -.- BUT I WANT TO !!!!

[kevinzegreat]

much more realistic than the crap iphone 5 holographic concept for a future phone.

[Bnickbr]

Very nice

[thegadgetzone]

Like this comment if Engadget sent you to this video

[WarpeaceWar6]

when can I download this?

[zonoguiz]

Wow finally an excuse to scratch my balls. LoL

[dreojs16]

If you can distinguish different alphabetical letters, can't you use this input to write simply with your finger on the table?

[whatsgravity]

If you do plan on applying this on a table... wouldn't writing with a pen or a similarly dimensioned object cause the same effect as scratching with your fingertip? If

[Xepher03]

If my phone rings and I want to answer it, is drawing an "A" on the table really easier than just picking up the phone and pressing a button? How many totally unique scratch patterns does the user have to memorize to operate, say, a tv? This idea is really cool, but I just don't know if it is a convenience.

[OsuKitteh]

Since the sound received can be transmitted still around a corner, wouldn't the device also receive input from footstep,s moving furniture, and other disturbances on the surface of the floor?

[Gibbingslfc]

GOODBYE REMOTE LOSS!!

[ONKC123]

This guy is so smart its not even funny

[googlephi]

If you can get results this good with just a single makeshift microphone, I can imagine some amazing results if you used a microphone array and some beamforming software.

[ilokimo]

Hey me and my friend just completed a project inspired by this video. When I saw this, I was impressed, but as I'm studying Navigation and Positioning I though this would be even more versatile if you had more dimensions. So we did with some ASIO compatible soundcard this but with simple 2d localization of the 2d knocking and with that mean control the mouse, winamp... Thanks guys for the inspiration!

[Vedurin]

Ehm, am i the only one who doesn't hear anything at the parts when they say you should be hearing the scratches as they are with that special microphone ??

[CerebralExcretion]

@Vedurin it only comes out the left channel for some reason

[Grotok]

1:46 what is that awsomely cute animal in the bottom left ???

[RayRay282828]

ONE more step to smart houses or not

[robbbmm]

That is the smartest thing I have ever seen.

[kaizerkaos]

good idea, but what about people walking by your desk and closing your messenger, switching your music, answering your cellphone, etc.? maybe a code, taps, or something to recognize a user.

[BadLactose]

Wow, this technology would have a lot of great applications! But I have to admit I was wincing through large parts of the video because hearing someone scratch on a wall gives me the 'nails on chalkboard' reaction.

[non523]

very impressive...

but my question is that could this be theoretically used to "Keylog" handwriting.

i could program a JAVA app for my htc and tape it to the bottom of the table

[undrum22]

nerds :P

[Flashguy45]

I LOVE thus video, and I am a beginning programmer myself. I was wondering, were did ou get the API for the microphone? Or did you write it yourself? Could you tell me (a link or something) were I could learn about desining libraries to work with other input devices?

[gringotumadre]

Microfones are analog devices, they don't have any API. You should be searching at higher level, look at JACK, alsa, OSS, portaudio, are open source and provide API's to get and send audio. If you want lower level you could read about kernel drivers for input devices.

[Hexadecibels]

microphones in every desk !?

you work for the CIA don't you !

you're THEM ain't ya !

[1CravenMorehead]

chess club and band I'll bet

[iAmNorM4L]

I don't think I would EVER use this technology

[AparoidX]

I bet this would be useful for home automation.

[beatsiz]

Genius ! ! !

Hopefully you get recognition and hired by some major tech companies!

[Zeke82]

imagine installing that on your girlfriends, just dubble tap her on the shoulder and she goes mute!

No but seriously, this is the next big thing, no questions about it. Good demonstration and work!

[reclick23]

instead of the stethoscope/mic you should use contact mics. they are super cheap to make (a couple bucks) and are made for exactly the kind of application you are using.

[chrisharrisoncmu]

This is true, and we have since moved on to more sophisticated mics. This video is from our very earliest prototyping (just to show it works at all).

[beatsiz]

Smart-ass...

He said he's just using it because he had some.

And contact mics still need a high pass

[JoshuaPTFan]

I would love to see this tech built into the underside of cellphones so I can answer by speakerphone by making a distinct tap on the table.

[eternalnova]

Take two of those mics and you could triangulate a position, for real fingernail tracking and (more accurate) gesture detection..

[yakkit]

That's what I was thinking. Maybe you could get them really accurate, and have a wall-sized tablet.

[nadie999]

Brilliant!!

[allanseeder]

This is a very very good idea!

[illdoyourdrugs]

so whats the software used

[spidydude101]

custom, braughzorzholmesletsgododrugs

[illdoyourdrugs]

urabitchbrabutletsgododrugs

[blursst]

it takes months to compile on a machine that is the size of a bedroom.

your mother, basically

[illdoyourdrugs]

So basically your an immature pathetic faggot is what your trying to say.

[quelorepario]

his

[overcloked]

If elder people thought that "we" were crazy when talking to a bluethooth headset, just wait to see us scratching walls :D

Seriously this sounds very promising and very simple after you have the concept.

Everything makes a sound when scrathed!!

Remeber people stop chuing nails (is this correct english?!) you might need them later :P

[gijsterbeek1]

This solves one problem I often have with my neighbours. If like playing music a little loud. My neighbours knock on the wall if they don't approve (which they hardly ever do). Soon, my neighbour's knock will automatically mute my music (or put the volume a little lower), without me having to interfere. Great!

[dimmu299792458]

Hopefully this will be used by the opensource community in a creative way....otherwise i can see "iScratch" coming from apple...hehehe

Or ScratchSurface from MicroSoft...hahaha

What would be appropriate to do when a fart is detected? Maybe an alarm?...haahahaha

Now seriously this is an amazing idea and very impressive, true innovation, limitless possibilities!

Well done guys!

[SalehooProductSource]

Interesting Concept. Sounds like something the open source community could use to create awesome programs.

[atofinkelstein]

This makes possible to interact with a computer by ball scratching , right ?

[Vids42]

This is really nice.

So easy and cheap.

What about using two very sensitive devices and detecting distance? Possibly 3+ mics may be able to have movement approximation?

[palmisano]

or three for triangulation . . .

[jfrusciantetube]

Good job, and above all good explanation.

I guess you already thought to apply mics to finger tracking... didn't you? :)

I think this 'cause some of my videos are about finger tracking.

[alabandit]

there goes tapping to the beat of you favorite song

[lynnvm]

sorry for multiple posts!

[relaxing]

More about sensing gestures below the beltline, please.

[alizta]

I wonder if written letters could be acoustically different enough gestures. Whether or not you could imagine using something like that as a keyboard replacement, i guess everyone would enjoy an inexpensive way to digitize handwriting on paper.

[ank0ku]

Salaciousd doesn't know what he's talking about. Those who say that the end-user will NEVER use [invention] is wrong much of the time. Years ago, storage makers believed we would never have a need for 5 MB of storage. And here we are. So, great work guys and kudos for the Mint Royale song. ^_^

[rmdstudio]

Brilliant and creative idea based on a simple principal. I can see many applications in tomorrows technologies. You are a true scientist! Good for you!

[salaciousd]

Cool technology, but ultimately useless. People are already used to keypads/keyboards, and those are the most efficient form of input.

[elmalloc]

Open your eyes, man. Welcome to the future.

This won't be used for keypads/keyboards, to control a "computer".

[AudacityOfGrey]

Boy i'm I glad you ain't an engineer.

[hbnsckl]

They are certainly NOT the most efficient forms of input.

Seriously?

[toofast26]

I think this guy means in terms of data input, and I would have to say it is arguable whether this would be a better method than keyboards, since, while I don't know about you, I type quite fast, and definitely faster than I could write on a surface, especially when accounting for errors. I mean I doubt without a bit of work, it could recognise your personal style of writing, so you wouldn't be able to write fast in the scrawl most people use.

[toofast26]

Rather you would have to scratch somewhat carefully, I guess it would be similar to using the stylus on a pda.

[ElgerJonker]

this is going to be the standard within 2 years :)

[zbharucha]

Beautiful marriage of simplicity and technology.

[idontplayamusic]

Pretty awesome concept.

[lyoshka]

revolutionary and incredibly simple input device!

is your software open source (free)?

[tehdog22]

This is simply AMAZING