This paper presents an alternative method of interacting with mobile devices. Most modern phones contain magnetometers that output the strength of the surrounding magnetic field in the x, y, and z direction. If a magnet is brought closer to the device (and the magnetometer), the values from the magnetometer will be altered. By determining the change in the altered magnetic field, we can determine the position of the magnet. With the position, we can determine the location of the magnet relative to the screen and detect gestures above the screen in 3D space. We will be building a photo browser & drawing application that will contain implementation for magnet based interactions. Users can flip through, select, and annotate/draw on photos using external magnets.
Author Keywords
Gesture-based interaction, magnetometer, mobile devices
ACM Classification Keywords
H.5.2 [Information interfaces and presentation]: User
Interfaces: Input Devices and Strategies.