Think of how little tech has acknowledged our legs compared to our hands, fingers, voice, eyesight etc.
in recent years that has been changing
- Charging units are capturing energy generated during walking
- Bionics are making tremendous progress with lower limbs
- Devices like the Kinect don’t just rely on hand based gestures
Now comes the 2013 Ford Escape tailgate which opens and closes with a foot gesture, a really nice feature when both your hands are busy. Extremetech explains the technology:
“Ford component supplier Brose Fahrzeugteile of Germany uses a pair of motion sensors and electronics (marked 4 and 5 in the diagram); they’re equivalent to Wii’s sensor bar that sits atop your TV. The two Ford sensors run along the rear of the car at bumper height and form an electrical field that is broken when an object comes near. Instead of looking for a tennis serve or snowboard move, these sensors look for a pair of shins to come into the field of view, then a gentle forward kicking motion with the foot, then the foot withdrawing. If that sequence happens and the remote has been detected, the controller module (3) commands an electric motor (1) to open the hatch. When the hatch closes, pinch sensors (2) guard against obstructions. A final control unit (6) can retract and redeploy the cargo cover if the automaker chooses that option.”
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