The peppermill: a human-powered user interface device

A human-powered user interface device sources its power from the physical effort required to operate it. This paper describes a technique by which a geared DC motor and a simple circuit can be used to enable interaction-powered rotary input devices. When turned, the circuit provides a temporary power source for an embedded device, and doubles as a sensor that provides information about the direction and rate of input. As a proof of concept, we have developed a general-purpose wireless input device – called the Peppermill – and illustrate its capabilities by using it as a remote control for a multimedia-browsing application. Author Keywords Human-powered devices, power harvesting, user interface devices, remote control ACM Classification Keywords H.5.2 [Information interfaces and presentation]: User Interfaces. – Input devices and strategies General Terms Design, Human Factors

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: TEI
• Authors: Nicolas Villar, Steve Hodges
• Keywords: Hardware, Input Devices, Rotary Input Devices, TEI 2010, User Interface Devices