Diehl Controls’ gesture control enables hygienic and wear-free operation of devices, machines or doors.
Contactless control in harsh environments
One hand movement is enough to start the cooker hood – without pushing or touching a button. Diehl Controls' gesture control sets different appliances in motion with a single sign – just like systems that can be controlled by speech with the help of Alexa, Siri and others – however independent of the spoken language or mouth-nose protection. It was not only the Corona pandemic that raised interest in contactless gesture control. However, the virus has contributed to an increased demand for this technical solution by the industry. It cannot only be used to start cooker hoods, but also to operate ticket machines or to open doors. In addition to the hygienic advantages, the gesture control also ensures a material-friendly and barrier-free operation.
The gesture control can be unmistakably triggered from a distance of up to 60 centimetres. It does not matter whether the user has dirty hands or wears gloves – the gesture control always works safely and contactlessly. Particularly under harsh conditions, such as in canteen kitchens where steam is generated and in hygienically sensitive environments, such as in clinics or nursing homes, gesture control enables a stable operation of technical equipment as sterile as possible.
Diehl Controls uses optical sensor technology
Technologically, the system records a hand movement via optical sensors that determine gesture as well as direction and speed. Diodes emit light which is reflected by a moving hand and which is registered by appropriate measuring instruments in fractions of a second. Thanks to a combination of hardware and software, the desired control signal is unmistakably determined. For example, the gesture control system detects how quickly a user moves his hand from left to right and over what distance. This not only enables systems, such as cooker hoods or washing machines, to be started and stopped, but also allows individual programme points to be selected or levels to be set. Diehl Controls is able to integrate its gesture control behind any optically transparent surface and adapt it to specific applications, no matter whether cooker hoods, cookers, ticket machines, toilet doors or blood pressure monitors.
"The Corona crisis has given a considerable boost to both the demand for and also the interest in our gesture control system," says Carsten Wolff, President of the Diehl Controls Division Board. "The pandemic has made many people even more sensitive to the way of hygienically clean operation of systems and machines. Our customers recognize this trend as well as the crucial importance of gesture control for a touchless and technically safe operation.”