A mobile command input through vowel lip shape recognition

Abstract

Most recent smartphones are controlled by touch screens, creating a need for hands-free input techniques. Voice is a simple means of input. However, this can be stressful in public spaces, and the recognition rate is low in noisy backgrounds. We propose a touch-free input technique using lip shapes. Vowels are detected by lip shape and used as commands. This creates a touch-free operation (like voice input) without actually requiring voice. We explored the recognition accuracies of each vowel of the Japanese moras. Vowels were identified with high accuracy by means of the characteristic lip shape.