GestureSock: Exploring toe gestures as alternative input method

Abstract

In everyday life we often find ourselves with both hands occupied, e.g. while holding a child in one hand and a dog leash in the other or riding a bicycle. These situations limit our ability to interact with our devices, leading to HCI investigating "hands-free" interactions such as voice commands. However, they are limited in noise environments and certain social situations. A recent lab study using a motion capture system has shown that toe movements might be a useful way of interacting. In this work we advance this research by exploring toe interactions through integrating pressure sensors in a sock. We address practical issues of implementation and applicability of an interactive sock capable of capturing toe interactions. We show that combining pressure with movement sensing can increase the interaction possibilities, allowing for a broad interaction vocabulary.