Imagine flooding smart homes with virtual touchscreens by turning ordinary items into personal assistants. Cue in Bosch Sensortec’s BML100PI Interactive Projection Module, which was recently announced at CES 2019.
Targeted to home device manufacturers, the BML100PI can create a series of projections onto, for example, a series of shelves in places such as kitchen cabinets, closets, and refrigerators.
“With this Interactive Projection Module any regular shelf can easily be transformed into a personal assistant for the user, greatly enhancing the level of convenience in people’s daily lives,” says Bosch CEO Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner.
The module generates a laser beam that “creates a focus-free image on any surface and then scans it line-by-line to detect any gestures or finger movements. No calibration or adjustment is required for accurate gesture and touch recognition,” according to Bosch.
An interactive projection will form no matter the surface type (wet, stepped, colored, or curved). Also, several touchscreens can stem from just one module, displaying on up to six surfaces.
Users can sync their daily schedules to the smart system, correlating the day’s forecast with wardrobe suggestions. If an item is missing, the BML100PI can search for similar items online, or if it’s just in the laundry, it can schedule a date for a cleaning service onto the user’s calendar. At a power consumption of 2 W, it has a credit card-sized footprint of 47 mm x 43 mm.
According to Bosch, the device will be available in the second quarter of 2020.