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FORECASTING WEATHER WITH A WAVE OF THE HAND
PUBLIC SAFETY
ORIGINATING TECHNOLOGY/ NASA CONTRIBUTION
Cybernet Systems Corporation, of Ann Arbor, Michigan,
originally developed its gesture recognition technology
for the U.S. Department
of Defense. A 1997 Phase II Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) contract with NASA’s Johnson Space
Center also contributed to the development of the company’s
gesture recognition and tracking system, which observes
human hand motions and interprets gestures in order
to control devices.
PARTNERSHIP
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| GestureStorm™ enables a meteorologist to interact with a weather map in real
time for televised broadcasts. |
Cybernet responded to
NASA’s request for an educational outreach device that
would capture children’s attention without the need
for a keyboard or mouse. By integrating its gesture
recognition technology with NASA’s Virtual Astronaut software, the company created a gesture-controlled
space station kiosk for Johnson’s Bioastronautics Exhibit.
Giving the public a chance to explore the International
Space Station without leaving Earth, the kiosk enabled
visitors to lead their own virtual space station tours,
as they moved throughout the station’s interior using
hand gestures. Visitors could point a finger, move
a hand, or open and close a fist to manipulate doors
and viewports or request more information.
Johnson’s
Space and Life Sciences Directorate designed the exhibit
to help the public understand the purpose of NASA’s
mission and how it relates to life on Earth. The gesture
recognition technology added a futuristic feel to the
kiosk, while adding practical benefits. Since visitors
did not have to touch anything to interact with the
virtual space station, dirty computer screens and broken
parts were not a concern. The kiosk demonstrated that
gesture recognition technology can provide a viable
alternative to physical contact or remote controls
for sending commands to devices.
PRODUCT OUTCOME
Building upon its successful
collaboration with NASA, Cybernet introduced GestureStorm,™
a weather map management system that utilizes both
body tracking and gesture recognition technology for
televised weather reports. The GestureStorm software
interface enables meteorologists to control the computerized
visual effects on weather maps using hand gestures
and body
movements. Prior to this, meteorologists prepared
scripted on-air reports to coincide with the timing
of graphics on the computerized maps. They knew when
and where weather and Doppler radar maps would appear
on the
monitor, but could not react in real time.
Cybernet’s
new product frees forecasters from a script, enabling
them to directly interact with the weather picture
in real time, significantly reducing the preparation
time for the broadcast. With this technology, meteorologists
control the pace of the visuals and can incorporate
spontaneous close-ups with simple hand movements. In
cases of severe weather, meteorologists strive to report
new information as quickly as possible. GestureStorm
gives forecasters an edge as they track late-breaking
storms. The reduced preparation and real-time interaction
shave critical minutes from the time required to broadcast
severe weather warnings.
The
first deployment of GestureStorm was at WKMG TV, a
CBS-affiliate station in Orlando, Florida. The system
is exclusively provided by Baron Services, Inc., of
Huntsville, Alabama. GestureStorm interfaces with Baron
Services’ storm tracking and forecasting products,
including FasTrac,® NexTrac,® and VIPIR.® By interpreting
simple hand motions to facilitate Baron’s products,
GestureStorm
provides an effective alternative to the
traditional methodology for producing on-air weather
spots.
GestureStorm™
is a trademark of Cybernet Systems Corporation.
FasTrac,®
NexTrac,® and VIPIR® are registered trademarks of Baron
Services, Inc.
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