The time when punch cards, mice, and keyboards are sufficient as input modalities for human computer interaction has passed. Instead, now we require richer sensory modalities, enabling interactive computing systems to respond to people and the world with the complexity of living beings.

The focus of this research-oriented course is to build engaging human experiences based on sensing embodied forms of expression and recognition. We will begin by studying how to build sensory computing systems using the Cypress Programmable System on a Chip (PSoC) to manage hardware sensors, and capture a multiplicity of forms of real world activity. The sensors will include IR LEDs and diodes, Near Field Communication (NFC), Galvanic Skin Response (for "excitation"), and more.

The PSoC is notable because it can be configured to provide signal chain support, such as pre-amplication and filtering, in the analog domain, as well as digital signal processing (DSP) and other computing before sending data to a host computer using a medium such as USB. Support for sensor buses, such as SPI (Serial Perheral Interface), is facilitated.

Microsoft Kinect's depth map, and the recently ubiquitous sensor kits of smart phones, which include cameras, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and touch screens, are likewise in play for sensory interfaces.

So is the Interface Ecology Lab's multi-finger ZeroTouch sensor.

This is a skills and project oriented course for advanced students to develop innovative research.