Answer the Phone with Your Fingernail

Posted on August 17, 2009 in Consumer Goods, Technology

When your phone goes off in the middle of a business meeting, it might be tempting to ignore the persistent ring. Instead, imagine dragging your fingernail across the table to silence the call—with no one the wiser.

Scratch Input has developed technology to control your phone by dragging a fingernail over the surface of any textured material, like wood, fabric or wall paint. Scratch Input works on most surfaces, but not glass. The sound is converted into an electrical signal, which is amplified and connected to a computer through an audio-input jack.

The technology might also be able to identify gestures and shapes, like the letter “S.” Although the system cannot always distinguish between similar-sounding letters, it can respond with about 90 percent accuracy.

Better yet, researchers are saying that the system could cost less than a dollar. The idea was presented at the Siggraph graphics conference this year by scientists at the Human-Computer Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. “It is exciting because it is so low cost,” researcher Chris Harrison said. “This idea has the potential to go beyond just a research project.”