Vision-based Gestural Interaction Using Plush Toys

As more and more computers are embedded in our living spaces, appropriate techniques for interacting with these devices become increasingly important. We currently lack design principles to make such information appliances simple, entertaining, and attractive for ordinary, non-technology oriented users. We are currently developing gestural interaction techniques using everyday objects like plush toys as a testbed for exploring such design principles. These everyday objects are more familiar and appealing than special purpose devices like remote controllers. We use computer vision techniques to avoid attaching cumbersome sensors to the objects.