Smartwatches are taking the tech industry by storm, but that does not mean the devices do not come with limitations.
One of the major drawbacks of scaling down a computer to make it wearable is that smartwatches come with a very small screen, with the limitation necessary as users would not like to walk around with massive displays on their wrists.
Talk to this guy, who was recently able to get Counter-Strike up and running on his LG G Watch, and he will likely tell you that the project would have been better if the smartwatch had a bigger screen.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University are working on a possible solution to this problem for smartwatches called the SkinTrack system.
With the SkinTrack system, users will be able to enjoy an extended interface for their smartwatches. The interface will not be through a larger or separate screen, though, as SkinTrack will be turning the user's forearm into a touchpad.
The SkinTrack system, which is being developed by the Future Interfaces Group of Carnegie Mellon's Human-Computer Interaction Institute, is made up of a ring and electrodes that are embedded into a smartwatch strap. An electronic signal emitted by the ring is picked up by the electrodes, and this allows the tracking of the ring as the finger wearing it moves.
SkinTrack detects the user's finger as it hovers or glides through the arm, and is also capable of knowing when the user is pressing in his or her skin. The system will also work through clothes.
With such a technology, smartwatch users will be able to maximize the screen of their devices as their fingers will not be blocking the display. In addition, the shortcuts that users can input for their smartwatches will greatly expand.
It might be a while before SkinTrack makes its way into smartwatches though, as it is still in the prototype stage. Researchers are looking for ways to maintain the charge of the system's ring, and are still working out the issues caused by body motion and sweat, which disrupts the electronic signal.
