WATouCH: Enabling Direct Input on Non-touchscreen Using Smartwatch's Photoplethysmogram and IMU Sensor Fusion

Interacting with non-touchscreens such as TV or public displays can be difficult and inefficient. We propose WATouCH, a novel method that localizes a smartwatch on a display and allows direct input by turning the smartwatch into a tangible controller. This low-cost solution leverages sensor fusion of the built-in inertial measurement unit (IMU) and photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor on a smartwatch that is used for heart rate monitoring. Specifically, WATouCH tracks the smartwatch movement using IMU data and corrects its location error caused by drift using the PPG responses to a dynamic visual pattern on the display. We conducted a user study on two tasks -- a point and click and line tracing task -- to evaluate the system usability and user performance. Evaluation results suggested that our sensor fusion mechanism effectively confined IMU-based localization error, achieved encouraging targeting and tracing precision, was well received by the participants, and thus opens up new opportunities for interaction.