A simple and utile approach to manual gesture decoding

Manual gestures have been used as a medium of communication since time immemorial. Speech-impaired individuals extensively use manual gestures for communication. In addition, human-machine interfaces based on manual gestures are much more intuitive than those presently in use such as keyboards and mice. A manual gesture decoder could therefore simplify communication for a speech-impaired individual as well as serve as the backbone for an intuitive human-machine interface. Here, we have developed a manual gesture decoder which relies on a grid of infrared sensors and a switch for detecting and decoding gestures.