Creating Novel Interactions with EIT-Based Devices through a Mobile Enabled API

Abstract

Traditionally, electronic devices have some type of physical input. Whether those are the buttons, triggers, and joysticks of a video game controller, or the flat, multi touch screens of mobile devices we have become used to, technology has pushed the limits on these physical and visible inputs. While developments continue to be made, such as pressure sensitive displays and flexible touch surfaces, there is an entirely different aspect of technology that has not been as utilized: the invisible input. Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) devices measure electrical conductivity and impedance of a part of the body using noninvasive surface electrodes, e.g., a wristband, and form a tomography image of that part, which can be used to measure internal muscular changes. In this way, users are able to imagine pressing a button, or simply make a gesture in open space, and have that gesture correspond to some command. Moreover, these gestures do not have to be sophisticated at all -- the simple act of flexing and relaxing a muscle would be enough to generate a signal to respond to. EIT technologies can create new interaction interfaces and make older interactions more accessible, because the movements required to interact with an EIT based system would be much less intricate. This research looks to create a novel method of interacting with EIT based devices, moving the interaction to a mobile medium in through a mobile API. By using a mobile device and focusing on interactive applications, more specific features can be implemented and are explored in this paper.