Anandghan Waghmare
Publications

UbiquiTouch

IMWUT 2020An ultra-low-power wireless touch interface that runs on ambient light.

We present UbiquiTouch, an ultra-low-power wireless touch interface. With an average power consumption of 30.28 µW, UbiquiTouch can run on energy harvested from ambient light. It achieves this performance through low-power touch sensing and passive communication to a nearby smartphone using ambient FM backscatter.

This approach allows UbiquiTouch to be deployed in mobile situations, both indoors and outdoors, without any additional infrastructure. To demonstrate the potential of this technology, we evaluate it in several different and realistic scenarios.

UbiquiTouch: a touchpad, small solar cells and an antenna. It needs no battery and sends touches to a nearby phone by reflecting existing FM radio signals.
UbiquiTouch: a touchpad, small solar cells and an antenna. It needs no battery and sends touches to a nearby phone by reflecting existing FM radio signals.
A touchpad sewn into a jacket sleeve with conductive fabric; conductive thread doubles as the antenna.
A touchpad sewn into a jacket sleeve with conductive fabric; conductive thread doubles as the antenna.
A low-cost version made from copper tape, buildable with basic supplies.
A low-cost version made from copper tape, buildable with basic supplies.
A keypad and slider printed on paper with conductive ink.
A keypad and slider printed on paper with conductive ink.
A paper poster that works as a touch interface: swipe an event to get its details on your phone.
A paper poster that works as a touch interface: swipe an event to get its details on your phone.