Step Right for a Latte: The Future of App Control May be in Your Feet

Scientists have created a proof-of-concept technology enabling users to perform everyday smartphone tasks—like playing music, answering calls, or ordering food—using subtle, socially acceptable foot gestures while walking.

Walking is a big part of our daily routines, whether it’s heading to work, running errands, or walking the dog. On average, adults take between 3,500 and 7,000 steps each day. But what if you could make those steps even more useful—like ordering Uber Eats or skipping a song on your Spotify playlist?

Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have taken a step toward making this technology a reality. In their study, participants used intentional foot movements while walking to order coffee, control a music app, and answer phone calls on an augmented reality headset.

Exploring Feet as a Means of Operating Machines

“There’s a long history of using feet to operate machines,” said Ching-Yi Tsai, the study’s lead author and former visiting scholar at Waterloo’s David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. “Car pedals are a classic example, but there’s been little research into leveraging walking patterns as input for devices.”

Waterloo computer science professor Daniel Vogel conceived the idea for a gait-controlled device on a cold day when he had to pause, remove his hands from his warm pockets, and use a phone app to order coffee. This led him to wonder if coffee could be ordered without stopping.

Introducing Gait Gestures for Foot-Based Interaction

Drawing on previous research, Vogel and his team identified 22 possible foot-based time gestures, which they named “gait gestures.” These gestures subtly altered a person’s natural walking pattern while allowing them to continue moving forward with minimal disruption. In a study involving 25 participants, the researchers assessed the gestures for compatibility with walking, ease of execution, and social acceptability.

“Extreme movements like dance steps or jumping might be easier for a system to recognize, but they would be harder to perform and too far removed from normal walking for people to feel comfortable doing in public,” Vogel explained. “We didn’t want users feeling like characters from Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks!”

For those unfamiliar with the British comedy troupe’s absurd humor, the above video is a shortened version of the classic Ministry of Silly Walks sketch, first aired in 1970 during season two of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Fans of the sketch can enjoy a nostalgic rewatch.

Refining Gait Gestures for Augmented Reality Interaction

From the 22 gait gestures initially identified, the researchers selected seven they deemed optimal—functional and socially acceptable for public use—and integrated them into a prototype interaction design for an augmented reality (AR) headset. In a follow-up study, participants tested these seven gestures to facilitate AR interactions. While wearing the headset, they performed tasks such as playing a song, adjusting the volume, ordering a café latte, and accepting or declining an incoming phone call, all while walking.

The system demonstrated an impressive 92% accuracy in recognizing gait gestures. Participants generally reacted positively to the technology, noting its ease of use and expressing a willingness to use it again.

“We’re not yet at the stage where AR headsets are commonly used,” Tsai remarked, “but this research shows that when we get there, this input method has real potential!”

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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