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On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

ai.googleblog.com

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Re: On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

#31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember that HN post the other day No. Link? Or can you remember any other details?

http://nsaphra.github.io/post/hands/ This one perhaps

Close to 400 comments. It was a good discussion.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20662232

Re: On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

#32
post #4

Remember that HN post the other day about someone going on a massive mission on voice recog because they can't use a mouse due to pain? Stuff like this makes me hopeful even if it seems like a gimmick when viewed in isolation.

A combination voice recognition + gesture recognition + eye tracking would make mobile computers better productivity tools.

Re: On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

#33
> We are excited to see what you can build with it!

The killer app is typing. Qwerty would be nice for a transition, but someone please invent a gesture "keyboard" more optimal for a free floating hand. Because of the lack of feedback I imagine it couldn't be as good as an actual keyboard. But it could be brilliant as an away from keyboard keyboard.

Re: On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

#34
pose detection is a mixed bag because it encourages always-watching devices (like how alexa is the killer app for always listening mics)

That said, incredibly useful for interacting w/ technology in physical space. Could imagine this doing really well for handheld drone landings or hybrid human / robot factories.

Re: On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

#35
post #21
post #17

Thinking of all the baseball applications here: catcher signals, third base coach, head coach etc.

Why would it be useful to have technology detect signals? Aren't people already going to be doing it? Genuine question, I don't know how baseball works.

Hand signals are commonly used in baseball to surreptitiously communicate intent to teammates without giving away your strategy to opponents. I think what GP was getting at is that this technology could be used to automate the reading of hand signals. I'm not sure it would be effective, as the pro baseball players are already quite sophisticated at both reading and obfuscating hand signals, at least at the highest levels of the game.

Re: On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

#36

Given the company behind it, I can't get out of my head the thought that this will find a lot of other applications... Please give a thumbs-up to acknowledge your engagement with this ad Sorry, the middle finger is not acceptable. Please give a thumbs-up.

Yeah, I hate to be cynical, but I'm not buying the stated use cases as the main motivator here for Google. It's cool they are releasing it. Interested to see what other folks come up with.

I wonder if this could be used to identity people based on hand movements alone? Like some sort of movement 'finger print' or something.

I've got to imagine we all have somewhat different paterns of moving our hands. Is it possible AI could be trained to study existing footage of a person, and identify them this way? Maybe akin to facial recognition, but hand movements instead?

Or maybe they are all too similar to be able to tell one person from another. Hell if I know, but interesting to think about.

Re: On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

#37
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This article doesn't actual mention anywhere but it implies it's doing all this with a regular camera. LeapMotion and others use more complex sensors. The ML approach is really impressive but getting clearer input would seem to be a more reliable approach.

The LeapMotion actually use ultrasonics for measurements and then guesses to translate that to hand-tracking. Doing it fully from a camera may actually improve on it if done right.

That’s the magic leap. The original leap motion uses stereoscopic infrared cameras afaik.

Re: On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

#38
post #36

Given the company behind it, I can't get out of my head the thought that this will find a lot of other applications... Please give a thumbs-up to acknowledge your engagement with this ad Sorry, the middle finger is not acceptable. Please give a thumbs-up.

Yeah, I hate to be cynical, but I'm not buying the stated use cases as the main motivator here for Google. It's cool they are releasing it. Interested to see what other folks come up with. I wonder if this could be used to identity people based on hand movements alone? Like some sort of movement 'finger print' or something. I've got to imagine we all have somewhat different paterns of moving our hands. Is it possible…

[deleted]

Re: On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

#39
post #30

As a engineer I can see how truly amazing feat that is. As a human being I'm staggered that it took so much effort into AI and machine learning to do so little.

> so little

Nature took 85 million years to perfect the hand, and dexterous use takes 1-2 years of training for babies. Interpreting the hands of other takes longer.

Re: On-Device, Real-Time Hand Tracking with MediaPipe

#40
post #39
post #30

As a engineer I can see how truly amazing feat that is. As a human being I'm staggered that it took so much effort into AI and machine learning to do so little.

> so little Nature took 85 million years to perfect the hand, and dexterous use takes 1-2 years of training for babies. Interpreting the hands of other takes longer.

Try drawing hands. (If you're a non-artist like myself.) It's impressively hard --- they are complex artefacts we can't quite see clearly because we are so used to them. There are a lot of, as it were, polygons.

If, after staring at these things for several decades, I still can't draw them with my eyes closed, I will assume that an AI would not find it easy to think about them either.

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