
University of Washington researchers have created a smart
ring to detect and continuously track the location of a person’s index finger.
The AuraRing is a combination of ring and connected wristband.
The ring emits a signal picked up by
the wristband to identify the position and orientation of the ring.
“We’re thinking about the next generation of computing platforms,” stated co-lead author Eric Whitmire,
who completed the research as a doctoral student at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering. “We wanted a tool that captures the fine-grain manipulation we do with our
fingers, not just a gesture or where your finger’s pointed, but something that can track your finger completely.”
The ring comprises a coil write wrapped 800 times around a
3D-orinted ring.