<<GLOF>>

by Hans Bergstrand, Jonas Brinck, Ellen Orraryd

(cleft) 2008
Physical Computing 2, B.A. Interaction Design
School of Arts and Communication
Malmö University, Sweden

Introduction

The Glof is a glove that let you control your computer with hand gestures. It can be used to enhance MSN conversations by associating certain gestures with messages or emoticons. Other possibilities are to use the glove as a personalized remote control for your music player or to give more life to your PowerPoint presentations.

The prototype glove can be used with MSN and PowerPoint. When it's used with MSN it translates the thumbs up- and fuck you-signs into emoticons as well as sends a nudge when you shake your hand. When it's used with PowerPoint it shows the next slide when you shake your hand.

In a finished version of Glof the user should be able to "save" their own gestures as well as assigning meanings and actions to them. The meanings of hand gestures differ in different cultural contexts and they can also be personal. It is therefore important that the user can personalize their Glof.

The name comes from an old English word for glove.

The Object

The Glof prototype is a glove with a bend sensor on each finger that senses when the fingers are bent and a tilt sensor that detects when the glove is shaken. To enable the glove to send different keystrokes the glove also consists of a keyboard chip. The keyboard chip is connected to a computer via a PS/2 to USB connector. The keyboard chip is connected to a 4016 quad bilateral switch via electric cables. The switch translates the signals from the keyboard chip and the arduino board. The signals are read as different keyboard strokes on the computer and activate different commands.

On each finger has a bend sensor attached. The bend sensors are made from conductive foam, which is a highly bendable and strong material, brass foil and electric cables. We have also connected a tilt sensor to our glove that enables you to wiggle your hand and send different commands; on our glove the tilt sensor activates the nudge function on MSN.

On the computer we are using a program called Autohotkeys. This program makes it possible to program different keystroke combinations to activate whatever function you find suitable on your computer.

Our prototype is programmed to read the thumbs up, flipping the finger and when the hand is shaken. We chose these signs because they are easy to read by our not-so-sensitive bend sensors. They are also, in our cultural context, well known symbols, one positive and one negative.

Scenarios of use

Erik Mann is 33 years old and works as a self-esteem coach. He travels around Europe giving lectures in how to build up a better confidence. Erik's presentations are lively and he walks around in the room, gesticulating wildly. Controlling his slideshows with the computer keyboard always disturbed Erik's flow during presentations. Using a remote control was a little better, but still rather boring. With his Glof, Erik's presentations are just as full of life as he is. He moves around the room, shaking his hand and clenching his fist and the slideshow reacts accordingly.

13-year-old Filippa is a frequent user of MSN. She often chats with her friends, but often feels that expressing herself through text only is rather limiting. Therefore her conversations are full of emoticons. She really loves all the small gadgets that are work with MSN such as rabbits announcing the weather and if you have any new messages. For her last birthday she got a Glof from her parents and she's always using it when she's chatting. The Glof add an extra dimension to her chats and is fun to use as well.

The production

When starting to produce our glove we started out with taking apart keyboards to get a hold of the circuit board inside of them. When we had got the keyboard card out of the keyboard canvas we started to hack the keyboard circuits to se witch combinations gave which keystroke. The keyboard circuit board that we are using consists of twenty-six different circuits. The first eighteen circuits combined with the eight last circuits gives the different keystrokes. When we had finished finding out the different keystrokes we had to drill a hole through the twenty-six circuits to be able to solder the electric cables on to the circuits. This enables us to get more accurate keystrokes.

To create the bend sensors we used pieces of conductive foam connected to two cables. When the foam is bent or squeezed the resistance changes. Initially we had issues with getting usable values from the bend sensors and we tested many different shapes and sizes. In the end we tried attaching brass foil to the foam in order to increase the conductivity. This had the positive side effect that we got better values from the bend sensors. When the sensors were bent, the metal squeezed the foam together so the difference in resistance between bent and straight fingers was larger.

In order to have a steady base for our prototype we bought a wrist/thumb support. We connected the bend sensors the wrist support with elastic band.

At first we used a tilt sensor to detect when the glove is shaken. At the last minute, however, the tilt sensor broke and there wasn't time to buy a new one. Instead we will fake it during the presentation using a button.

For the exhibition we wanted visitors to be able to try the Glof. But if lots of people were to use it, take it on and of, etc. we risk breaking it. Therefore we decided to make a model hand to display the glove on. The hand is molded in silicone and is soft, so visitors can bend the fingers and in that way test the prototype.