Background Machine learning is the capability of machines to interpret intelligent behavior. A subset of this is gesture recognition which allows for virtual gesture control, allowing users to manipulate the virtual environment using the real-world gestures. Current technologies available for gesture recognition are a variety of sensors to better...

There is great interest in camera-based wearables for monitoring human activity. These devices can be used to monitor activity anywhere and at any time. Much of human activity involves the use of hands and often in conjunction with objects. Certain everyday activities, e.g., taking medication or grabbing keys, can be quite complex. These activities...

­Visually impaired individuals often rely on assistive devices that attempt to encode spatial information into other means such as audio or tactile signals. However, challenges in implementation and interpretation of spatial information still exist. For instance, many existing devices still provide limited information to a user that the user must...

­Often after an individual experiences a neurological event such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), cerebrovascular accident (CVA), multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, etc., they suffer from a condition called midline shift syndrome (MSS). MSS causes those affected to lean their body away from the non-paralyzed side on a continual basis due to a change...

Background Monitoring the hands and their immediate environment can provide insight into what we are planning and the activities we are performing. When we want to grasp an object, our hands and body adjust to the shape, texture, and weight of the object. If at the same time, we can capture images of the object to be grasped, then we can use neural...