Robust Driver Foot Tracking and Foot Gesture Recognition Using Capacitive Proximity Sensing

Nowadays, there is an increasing trend towards automated driving. This is supported by both driver assistance systems getting more and more available and powerful, and research for car manufacturing industries. As a consequence, driver hands and feet are less involved in vehicle control. Increasing automation will even let them become idle. Recent gesture recognition mainly focuses on hand interaction. This work focuses on possibilities for feet gesture interaction. Many gesture recognition systems rely on computing intensive, privacy concerns causing video systems. Furthermore, these systems require a line of sight and therefore visible interior design integration. The proposed system shows that invisibly integrated capacitive proximity sensors can do the job, too. They do not cause privacy issues and they can be integrated under non-conductive materials. Therefore, there is no visible interior design impact. The proposed solution distinguishes between four feet gestures. There is no limitation to feet movement. Further, an evaluation including six participants and a vehicle legroom mockup shows the system function. This work contributes to the basis of driver foot gesture recognition pointing to further applications and more comprehensive investigations.