Prototyping Capacitive Sensing Applications with OpenCapSense

Abstract

OpenCapSense is a prototyping platform to develop innovative applications that rely on perceiving humans with electric fields. Despite today's use of capacitive sensing mostly as a method to detect touch, it offers many interesting facets that range from mid-air interaction to contactless indoor localization and identification. The platform provides active sensors to detect human interactions at distances of more than 40 cm, by generating electric fields. Passive sensors allow for measuring changes in electric fields that occur naturally in the environment, enabling detection distances up to 2 m.