The MGC3130 is the world's first configurable 3D gesture controller based on the electric field and offers hand position tracking characterized by its low power consumption, accuracy, speed and robustness, including free-space gesture recognition.
Thanks to its low power consumption, starting at 150 µW in active sensing mode, the MGC3130 offers always-on 3D gesture recognition, even for battery-powered products with extremely tight power requirements. The MGC3130's low-power design and various configurable power modes provide the lowest power consumption among all 3D sensing technologies, up to 90% less than camera-based gesture systems.
GestIC technology achieves the exceptionally high gesture recognition rates demanded by today's consumer products through its integrated library, the Colibri Suite, of intuitive and natural human gestures. The Colibri Suite combines a stochastic Hidden Markov model and x/y/z hand position vectors to provide designers with a reliable set of recognizable 3D hand and finger gestures that can be easily implemented in their products. Examples include approach wake, position tracking, snap gestures, circle gestures, and a symbol manager for functions such as on/off, open application, point, tap, zoom, scroll, mouse over free space, and many more. Designers can leverage this library for rapid time to market and reduced development risk by easily mapping their system instructions to Microchip's powerful set of predefined and proven gestures. Furthermore, the chip gives developers the flexibility to use pre-filtered electrode signals to enhance the functionality of their applications.
GestIC technology uses thin sensing electrodes made of any conductive material, such as printed circuit board traces or indium tin oxide coating, allowing for seamless integration behind the device casing. This enables visually appealing industrial designs with very low system costs. Furthermore, the technology offers 100% surface coverage and eliminates blind spots due to the "viewing angle" inherent in other technologies. With a sensing distance of up to 15 cm, the MGC3130 is ideal for products designed for close-range use, enabling direct user-device interaction. Thanks to its intelligent and configurable feature set, the MGC3130 is paving the way for revolutionary human-machine interface design across various industries. Microchip is already working with input device and other product manufacturers to implement exciting and efficient user input controls. Examples of applications include keyboards that take advantage of the advanced interface features in the new Windows® 8 operating system, using hover and free-space gesture controls instead of touching a screen.
The MGC3130 provides a sophisticated, accurate, and robust 3D gesture interface and hand position tracking solution, with features such as:
• 150 dpi resolution, similar to a mouse, and a 200 Hz sampling rate to detect even the fastest hand and finger movements
• Ultra-low-noise analog input stage for high-precision interpretation of electrode sensor inputs
• Configurable proximity-activated auto-reactivation with a 150 µW power consumption, enabling always-on gesture sensing in power-constrained mobile applications
• Automatic self-calibration for consistently high accuracy throughout the product's lifespan
• 32-bit digital signal processing for real-time processing of x/y/zy positional data using the Colibri Suite gesture library
• Integrated Flash memory for easy updates of products installed in the same environment
• 70-130 kHz frequency-hopping electric field to eliminate RF interference and resistance to ambient light and sound interference
The Microchip Sabrewing MGC3130 Single Zone Evaluation Kit (part number DM160217), also announced today, is now available for $169.00. It enables development with the MGC3130 by offering a selectable electrode size of 5 inches or 7 inches. The kit comes with the AUREA graphical user interface, which is also available as a free download, allowing designers to easily adapt their system instructions to Microchip's Colibri Suite. Colibri Suite is a powerful library of proven, natural 3D hand and finger gestures pre-programmed into the MGC3130.
Samples of Microchip's MGC3130, which incorporates GestIC technology, are now available in a 5x5 mm, 28-pin QFN package. Volume production is scheduled for April 2013.
