ATK: Enabling Ten-Finger Freehand Typing in Air Based on 3D Hand Tracking Data

Abstract

Ten-finger freehand mid-air typing is a potential solution for post-desktop interaction. However, the absence of tactile feedback as well as the inability to accurately distinguish tapping finger or target keys exists as the major challenge for mid-air typing. In this paper, we present ATK, a novel interaction technique that enables freehand ten-finger typing in the air based on 3D hand tracking data. Our hypothesis is that expert typists are able to transfer their typing ability from physical keyboards to mid-air typing. We followed an iterative approach in designing ATK. We first empirically investigated users' mid-air typing behavior, and examined fingertip kinematics during tapping, correlated movement among fingers and 3D distribution of tapping endpoints. Based on the findings, we proposed a probabilistic tap detection algorithm, and augmented Goodman's input correction model to account for the ambiguity in distinguishing tapping finger. We finally evaluated the performance of ATK with a 4-block study. Participants typed 23.0 WPM with an uncorrected word-level error rate of 0.3% in the first block, and later achieved 29.2 WPM in the last block without sacrificing accuracy.