Plessey demonstrates imPact Contactless Gesture Recognition

Plessey will be demonstrating their new, low cost, CGR (Contactless Gesture Recognition) technology imPact at CES 2013 in January. Designed to fit around computer monitors, portable laptop computers, ultra books and tablets imPact provides the user with the ability to activate and use devices, without having to touch them, via gestures such as swipe, flick, up and down. A simple 'left-click' function has been incorporated by hovering the hand at any required point for more than 0.5secs. An imPart reference design The technology uses Plessey's award-winning EPIC sensors, which detect changes in electric potential, and enables device manufacturers to gesture-enable computer screens without needing to use expensive, power hungry, capacitive touchscreen technology or cameras. Steve Cliffe, Plessey's director of business development, said, "CES is the perfect showcase for this stunning new technology. People are amazed at how sensitive it can be at picking up very small signals, even at a distance of up to 100cms without physical contact. For CES, we have created an imPart reference design that we expect to see a number of OEMs pick up to implement as a contactless pointing device for their own products. The applications are endless." The EPIC sensor works by detecting changes in electric potential that could be in muscles or nerves or changes in the Earth's atmospheric electric potential field caused by a hand or body moving through it. The technology functions as an ultra-high, input impedance sensor that acts as a highly stable, extremely sensitive, contactless voltmeter to measure tiny changes in the electric field down to milliVolts. Plessey's EPIC sensor technology is revolutionising many different areas from contactless gesture recognition to ECG monitors for remote health and fitness applications. Plessey Semiconductors