Fingertips 3D mouse using a camera

Fingertips 3D mouse has been developed using only one camera. 3D pointing operation was realized by detecting the 3D position of forefinger´s fingertip. A function to discriminate between “Pointing mode” (the mode to move the cursor according to the fingertip position) and “Typing mode” (the mode to input the character using the keyboard) has also been developed based on the handshape. So, the user needs not to move his/her hand between the keyboard and the mouse. Click command can also be inputted by touching the thumb to the forefinger in the pointing mode. Functions to automatically measure finger lengths and skin color have also been developed. As a result, the system becomes robust for those variations among different individuals.