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Title: Ubiquitous Self-Powered Ambient Light Sensing Surfaces
Dingtian Zhang
Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science
School of Interactive Computing
College of Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology
Date: April 9th, 2021 (Friday)
Time: 9:30am - 11:30pm (EDT)
Location: https://bluejeans.com/827874146
Committee
Dr. Gregory D. Abowd (Advisor), School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Canek Fuentes-Hernadez, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Thad Starner, School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. HyunJoo Oh, School of Industrial Design & School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Sauvik Das, School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
Abstract
Many human activities interfere with ambient light in a predictable and detectable way in that our activities implicitly or explicitly block the paths of ambient light in our environment. This dissertation explores sensing of ambient light interference patterns due to human activities as a general-purpose signal at the surface level of everyday objects for activity recognition as well as novel interaction techniques. Using low-cost optoelectronic components and flexible materials, I developed photodetector-based “ambient light sensing surfaces” that can be highly scalable and conformal to our living environments. Through strategic integration with the physical surfaces of everyday objects, they can capture the most relevant ambient light signals and detect events of interest. Emerging optoelectronic technologies such as organic semiconductors (OSC) offer ultrathin and flexible form factors, and amenability to additive mass manufacturing processes that can drive down the cost. With both silicon and OSC-based prototypes, I demonstrated the feasibility of ambient light sensing surfaces that could offer a practical path towards ubiquitous deployment.
This dissertation has made the following contributions:
