ElectroRing: Subtle Pinch and Touch Detection with a Ring

Abstract

We present ElectroRing, a wearable ring-based input device that reliably detects both onset and release of a subtle finger pinch, and more generally, contact of the fingertip with the user’s skin. ElectroRing addresses a common problem in ubiquitous touch interfaces, where subtle touch gestures with little movement or force are not detected by a wearable camera or IMU. ElectroRing’s active electrical sensing approach provides a step-function-like change in the raw signal, for both touch and release events, which can be easily detected using only basic signal processing techniques. Notably, ElectroRing requires no second point of instrumentation, but only the ring itself, which sets it apart from existing electrical touch detection methods. We built three demo applications to highlight the effectiveness of our approach when combined with a simple IMU-based 2D tracking system.