2023-11-13 08:14:28
Researchers at Cornell University have developed the first pair of connected glasses equipped with sonar for body tracking.
Some decide to switch to connected glasses like Ray-Ban Stories to discover a new way to immortalize their daily lives. Others, on the other hand, rely on this type of device to improve their knowledge of their own body. An approach fully in line with that of e-health, for which a team of researchers from Cornell University, in New York State, is working.
More precise measurements, more discreet glasses
On the surface, the glasses developed by Saif Mahmud, Cheng Zhang, Ke Li, Ruidong Zhang, Guilin Hu, Hao Chen, Richard Jin and François Guimbretière are quite ordinary. And for good reason: they are! This is a classic pair onto which researchers have grafted PoseSonic, their system for tracking the human body using sonar.
PoseSonic consists of two pairs of microphones and speakers that constantly send and receive acoustic signals. Concretely, this set sends waves against the human body which, in turn, sends them back and allows the glasses (and artificial intelligence) to create a precise map of the movements of its wearer. Just like a submarine’s sonar can map the depths of the ocean.
« What excites me about PoseSonic is the potential of using it to detect fine-grained human activities in everyday life,” says Saif Mahmud, a doctoral student in the field of information science in the article published by Cornell University. “When we have a lot of data through body-sensing technologies like PoseSonic, it can help us be more aware of ourselves and our behaviors. »
Enhanced autonomy and increased confidentiality
You will have understood, the object of the glasses developed by Cornell students are nothing as extravagant as those of Snapchat. Theirs are entirely dedicated to a better understanding of the human body. For example, to identify habits in terms of posture, or deviations in gait throughout the day. Although, regarding this point, you must keep in mind that only the upper body is currently captured by the sonar. Nine data points are currently supported by the university’s glasses at upper joints, including the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips and nose.
The other advantage of the method developed by these researchers is twofold. On the one hand, it eliminates the need to incorporate cameras on glasses (a good point for confidentiality and privacy); on the other hand, it significantly improves the autonomy of this type of device. According to the university’s article, glasses equipped with sonar technology consume up to 10 times less energy than a pair of glasses with cameras.
Of course, no marketing is planned for this innovative product. However, it is not impossible that the researchers’ discoveries will pave the way for new types of connected devices in the years to come. A market which, in 2022, was worth 243 billion dollars.
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