HumTouch: Localization of a finger in purified water using humming-noise-driven human-body electric currents

HumTouch is a sensing technology that can convert semi-conductive materials into touch sensors by using the humming noise in the surrounding area. Human bodies contain minerals that react with these surrounding AC humming noises. The electric currents driven by the humming noise flow into a semi-conductive surface when the human touches it. We localized a finger in a plastic tank filled with purified water. The tank had electrodes to detect the electric current leaked from the human hand. The finger position in the tank was then estimated using the voltage levels at two electrodes; the mean localization error was 0.90 cm. The results proved that human body parts in purified water can be localized using the HumTouch technique.