To create applications for smart environments we can select from a huge variety of sensors that measure environmental parameters or detect activities of different actors within the premises. Capacitive proximity sensors use weak electric fields to re

Capacitive sensing allows the creation of unobtrusive user interfaces that are based on measuring the proximity to objects or recognizing their dielectric properties. Combining the data of many sensors, applications such as in-the-air gesture recognition, location tracking or fluid-level sensing can be realized. We present OpenCapSense, a highly flexible open-source toolkit that enables researchers to implement new types of pervasive user interfaces with low effort. The toolkit offers a high temporal resolution with sensor update rates up to 1 kHz. The typical spatial resolution varies between one millimeter at close object proximity and around one centimeter at distances of 35cm or above.

Swiss-Cheese Extended proposes a novel real-time method for recognizing objects with capacitive proximity sensors. Applying this technique to ubiquitous user interfaces, it is possible to detect the 3D-position of multiple human hands in different configurations above a surface that is equipped with a small number of sensors. The retrieved object configurations can significantly improve a user's interaction experience or an application's execution context, for example by detecting multi-hand zoom and rotation gestures or recognizing a grasping hand. We emphasize the broad applicability of the proposed method with a study of a multi-hand gesture recognition device. Swiss-Cheese Extended proposes a novel real-time method for recognizing objects with capacitive proximity sensors. Applying this technique to ubiquitous user interfaces, it is possible to detect the 3D-position of multiple human hands in different configurations above a surface that is equipped with a small number of sensors. The retrieved object configurations can significantly improve a user's interaction experience or an application's execution context, for example by detecting multi-hand zoom and rotation gestures or recognizing a grasping hand. We emphasize the broad applicability of the proposed method with a study of a multi-hand gesture recognition device

Many common forms of activities are tactile in their nature. We touch, grasp, and interact with a plethora of objects every day. Some of those objects are registering our activities, such as the millions of touch screens we are using every day. Adding perception to arbitrary objects is an active area of research, with a variety of technologies in use. Acoustic sensors, such as microphones, react to mechanical waves propagating through a medium. By attaching an acoustic sensor to a surface, we can analyze activities on this medium. In this paper, we present signal analysis and machine learning methods that enable us to detect a variety of interaction events on a surface. We extend from previous work, by combining swipe and touch detection in a single method, for the latter achieving an accuracy between 91% and 99% with a single microphone and 97% to 100% with two microphones

Inattentiveness is one of the major causes of traffic accidents. Advanced car safety systems try to mitigate this by detecting potential signs of distraction or tiredness, and providing alerts to the driver. In this paper we present CapSeat - a car seat equipped with integrated capacitive proximity sensors that are used to measure a wide range of physiological parameters about the driver. This can support safety systems by detecting inattentiveness and increase passive safety by facilitating suitable seat adjustments and posture detection. We present a sensor electrode layout suitable for detecting the necessary parameters and processing methods that acquire multiple physiological parameters from sensor data, using a variety of different algorithms. A prototype of the system is presented that was evaluated for all detectable parameters in a proof-of-concept study. We achieved a classification precision between 95% and 100%