15-02-2013, 02:51 PM
Bionic Touch based Headphone Modality for Next Generation Information Systems
Bionic Touch.docx (Size: 24.11 KB / Downloads: 47)
Abstract:
Imagine going to an unknown place like a government office / bank / museum etc and getting the audio information about the place by just touching the building. Consider touching a instrument, or a experimental setup in a laboratory and getting audio instructions about how to do the experiment. All this without using any wireless or even wired communication technology. These applications might seem futuristic but they are realistically possible by using bionic touch and by the simple use of the principle that the human body is a conductor.
Earlier similar applications have been implemented using technologies like RF communication or IR communication, but they have inherent limitations. For example RF communication since it is not directional cannot be used for most of these applications because the user could be looking at one object and he could actually be receiving information about some other object which is in the same vicinity. Similarly IR communication won’t work because of line of sight requirements and limitations.
In this project a solution will be developed that over comes these limitations. There are two parts in the project; one is a fixed device that is placed in the device from which the information has to be received. The second is a headphone the user is wearing to receive the information.
In this project the principle of HBN (human body networks) and galvanic coupling of signals is used. As per existing IEEE standards currents upto 1mA can be safely transmitted and received over the human body. In this project we use very low power signals, where in currents of the order of only a few micro amperes flow through the human body in the implementation of the project.
The fixed device transmits data representing the information about the fixed item and the user has a receiving device that is making contact with their skin. The user can be holding the device, or they can be wearing it like a wrist watch or even in the form of headphones. The signals from the fixed device can flow through the human body and be received in the headphones and played out as audio information to the user. Alternatively if the user is deaf then a LCD display can be provided for them to see the information.