ReflectU: A Mirror-Based Intelligent Interactive System for Intuitive Remote Control

Large interactive displays are widely used in industrial scenarios to enhance ubiquitous and seamless human–machine interactions. However, few studies have paid attention to design implicit interaction that users can directly manipulate physical circumstance without touch or specific gesture. This article proposes ReflectU, a novel reflection-based approach that leverages mirror reflection for a natural and implicit interactive method for remote control, i.e., user will be able to directly interact with physical circumstance just via the reflection of their bare hands. We compare its performance with that of other two generally known devices: Wii Remoter and Microsoft Kinect. Moreover, performance metrics of ReflectU are evaluated in real-life scenarios and provide evidence in convincing performance in both the tasks requiring instant targeting and trajectory control. Furthermore, ReflectU is reported by users to be the most intuitive and satisfactory approach among all three candidates in user studies. Future industrial applications of the reflection-base mirror approach are discussed.