Pose Detection for the Bar of Soap
(a Multi-functional Handheld Device)

For MAS.622J, Pattern Recognition
Brandon Taylor
Daniel Smalley
Jeevan Kalanithi
Matt Adcock

The Bar of Soap Project is an attempt to build a totally generic device that can automatically change its appearance and control surface to allow it to be used as a huge variety of devices. That is, it will have a generic touchscreen that will change based on the task the user wants to accomplish. The whole surface will be covered in touch sensors and audio I/O will be embedded within. The device, when off, should look like a bar of soap -- an undifferentiated block of plastic.

For the Fall 2006 Pattern Recognition class, we have built a prototype that attempts to detect what the user wants to do by classifying how that person is grasping the device. For example, people hold cellphones in a particular way that is distinguishable from the way in which they hold a TV remote control.

Final Presentation Slides:

• Web Version (works best on IE - sorry!)
• Full MS PPT file

Data Sets:

• Single User Data Log Files
• Multiple Users Data Log Files
• Matlab Formatted Import Files (Containing Filtered/Reduced Data)

Matlab Code:

• Data Filtering
• Feature Reduction and Discriminability Tests
• Template Matching and Neural Nets
• kNN and Parzen Windows
• GLD