KOMEKAMI Switch: A Novel Wearable Input Device Using Movement of Temple

A wearable computing system plays a leading role in the ubiquitous computing era, in which computers are used at any place and at any time. Now the mobile multimedia communication technology based devices, such as mobile phone, handy-type PC, etc., have come to be used in such a broad range of areas, the features of wearable hands-free computing system, which people can constantly use in their daily life or workplace while doing some other job, are highly valued more than ever. However, the wearable computing system has not yet spread so widely owing to various factors. Among such factors is the delay in the development of human machine interface, which is applicable to the wearable computing system. Conventional technologies that require either manual manipulation of keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc., or a large equipment to make use of electroencephalogram, eyeball movements, etc. for realizing hands-free interface, are not suitable for the wearable computing system. We, therefore, developed a human-machine interface for the wearable computing system. This interface makes it easy to manipulate machine with intentional movements of temple. User can constantly use machine with no interference, as well as with hands free. It is compact and lightweight, permitting ease of manufacturing at a low cost. It does not react to daily actions like conversation, diet, etc., other than movements intended to control the machine. This interface consists of one optical distance sensor mounted in the vicinity of the left and right temples each and of one single-chip microcomputer.