Microsoft Research: PocketTouch Enables Device Input Through Fabric (video)

This is something that I am definitely hyped up for and hopefully arrives in my lifetime. The geniuses over at Microsoft Research have solved the issue of controlling handheld devices through fabric by touch. This is just really amazing and it even works through heavy fabrics and jackets as well.

“We didn’t think that a heavy fleece or a jacket pocket would provide enough of a signal to the sensor,” Saponas recalls. “We only included them during testing to demonstrate a full range of options. To our astonishment, they worked anyway. So we knew we had solved the toughest challenge, which was to figure out a reliable way to detect and segment strokes from the capacitive touch sensor through fabric.”

Imagine being able to silence devices or even text really quickly with your phone still in your pocket. Who knows, maybe it will be something that will get implemented by Windows Phone 8. (hopeful thinking)

Source: Microsoft Research vie geekwire