Non-verbal communication interface using a data glove

Abstract

Since the emergence of more sophisticated interaction devices, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) science has extended in all forms, where Non-Verbal Communication (NVC) is one of added issues. In this context, the use of gestures (actions expressed by body, face, and/or hands) as a natural solution for applications that require hands-free and no touch interaction with computers has been suggested, such as in virtual reality (VR) environments. This paper introduces an interaction system based on gestures, which implies a real-time hand gesture recognition and tracking method to identify different and dynamic hand postures as control tools of a virtual world. In order to improve the user experience, a set of different system functions into a virtual world had been implemented. Interaction can be performed by the user's execution of gestures through a data glove device. The ability to perform the implemented gestures by a participants' group is used as a critical evaluation of the system. The obtained results show that a high percentage of evaluated participants found the system as user-friendly.