With This Tattoo-Like Tip-Tap, The Wearer Can Control A Computer Just By Touching Two Fingers

Waterloo’s computer scientists have made a highly portable computer input that users can wear on their fingers. All they have to do is to perform different gestures to control a machine.

The wearable is called Tip-Tap. It requires no battery and costs very little. The Tip-Tap relies on RFID tags (stand for radio frequency identification) to sense the touch of the user’s fingertips. One of the applications is that it can be integrated into surgical gloves to allow surgeons accessing preoperative planning diagrams while operating patients.

According to Daniel Vogel, professor of David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, in operation rooms, surgeons usually need to see the operation digital preplanning, and so far, there has not been any convenient way to do so without having an assistant aside or constantly sterilizing. The Tip-Tap, in this case, can be of great help as it does not affects their actions.

The scientists created the Tip-Tap by mapping the parts on the index finger that are most comfortable to be touched by the thumb. After that, they tested several designs for these points, including magnets, smooth, and bumps.

The next challenge is how to make the device battery-free. What they accomplished is 2D fingertip input. The scientists have made two prototypes, one shaped like a tattoo, and another is a glove with a 4-meter range. These designs are suitable for giving simple commands without much interference to whatever the wearer is doing.

So far, this device is one of a kind as it needs no wire or battery to work.

The human-computer interface is evolving fast in the last few years, and the Tip-Tap can be a promising invention in this field.