Abstract: In this article, we present a hand-tracking system based on magnetic positioning. A single magnetic node is mounted on each fingertip and two magnetic nodes on the back side of the hand. A fixed array of receiving coils is used to detect the magnetic field, from which it is possible to infer the position and orientation of each magnetic node. A kinematic model of the whole hand has been developed. Starting from the positioning data of each magnetic node, the kinematic model can be used to calculate the position and flexion angle of each finger joint, plus the position and orientation of the hand in space. Relying on magnetic fields, the hand-tracking system can work also in non-line-of-sight conditions. The gesture reconstruction is validated by comparing it with a commercial hand-tracking system based on a depth camera. The system requires a small number of electronics to be mounted on the hand. This would allow building a light and comfortable data glove that could be used for several purposes: human–machine interface, sign language recognition, diagnostics, and rehabilitation.

Abstract
The paper proposes a first step toward the realization of a low cost and scalable clinical device to monitor the evolution of Parkinson’s disease based on magnetic measurements. The main aim of the overall research project is the realization of an internet-connected device able to allow the execution of standardized tests and share results with specialized medical centers. At this stage, the system has been focused on two parameters useful for medical exams: tremor and hands trajectory. The paper describes the realized set-up based on fixed receiving coils and one mobile transmitting coil and proposes first experimental results executed on a robotic arm adopted as a reference. Obtained results clearly show the capability of the realized system to estimate the right frequency of the tremor and the identify the right trajectory even if high levels of tremor are applied.

Prototype 2.0 working

~30 measurements per second

Mean positioning error: 2 mm

Max positioning error: 8 mm

The robot is used to test the accuracy of the measurements.

Green dots and arrow: real position and attitude Red dots: measured position Yellow arrow: measured attitude

Project publications

Journals

2021

F. Santoni, A. De Angelis, A. Moschitta and P. Carbone, “MagIK: A Hand-Tracking Magnetic Positioning System Based on a Kinematic Model of the Hand,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 70, pp. 1-13, 2021, Art no. 9507313, doi: 10.1109/TIM.2021.3065761. Preprint

A. Moschitta, A. Comuniello, F. Santoni, A. De Angelis, P. Carbone and M. L. Fravolini, “Statistically Efficient Simultaneous Amplitude Measurement of Multiple Linear Chirp Signals,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 70, pp. 1-11, 2021, Art no. 9505311, doi: 10.1109/TIM.2021.3051667.

2020

F. Santoni, A. De Angelis, A. Moschitta, and P. Carbone, “A Multi-Node Magnetic Positioning System with a Distributed Data Acquisition Architecture,” Sensors, vol. 20, no. 21, p. 6210, Oct. 2020 – doi: 10.3390/s20216210

A. Moschitta, A. Comuniello, F. Santoni, A. De Angelis, P. Carbone and M. L. Fravolini, “Simultaneous amplitude measurement of multiple Chirp Spread Spectrum signals,” 2020 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Dubrovnik, Croatia, 2020, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/I2MTC43012.2020.9129567

G. Cerro et al., “A real-time tracking system for tremor and trajectory estimation in Parkinson’s disease affected patients”, in 2020 IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications (MeMeA), Bari, Italy, 2020, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/MeMeA49120.2020.9137210

P. Bellitti et al., “A Wearable and Wirelessly Powered System for Multiple Finger Tracking,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 2020 – doi: 10.1109/TIM.2020.2969089. Preprint

M. Borghetti, P. Bellitti, N. Lopomo, M. Serpelloni, E. Sardini, “Validation of a modular and wearable system for tracking fingers movements,” ACTA IMEKO, 2020, accepted. Preprint

2019

G. De Angelis, A. Moschitta, A. De Angelis and P. Carbone, “Validation and comparison of circular coils’ inductive coupling models,” Measurement, Volume 133, 2019, Pages 14-22 – doi: 10.1016/j.measurement.2018.09.075. Preprint

A. Comuniello, A. Moschitta and A. De Angelis, “Ultrasound TDoA Positioning Using the Best Linear Unbiased Estimator and Efficient Anchor Placement,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement –
doi: 10.1109/TIM.2019.2958011. Preprint

G. De Angelis, A. De Angelis, A. Moschitta, P. Carbone and R. Pintelon, “On-line Identification of the LC Product in Coupled Resonant Circuits,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement – doi: 10.1109/TIM.2019.2950583. Preprint

G. Cerro, L. Ferrigno, M. Laracca, F. Milano, P. Carbone, A. Comuniello, A. De Angelis, A. Moschitta, “An accurate localization system for Nondestructive testing based on magnetic measurements in quasi-planar domain,” Measurement, Volume 139, 2019, Pages 467-474 – doi: 10.1016/j.measurement.2019.03.022. Preprint

Borghetti, M.; Serpelloni, M.; Sardini, E. “Printed Strain Gauge on 3D and Low-Melting Point Plastic Surface by Aerosol Jet Printing and Photonic Curing,” in Sensors 2019, 19, 4220 – doi: 10.3390/s19194220. Preprint

2018

F. Santoni, A. De Angelis, I. Skog, A. Moschitta and P. Carbone, “Calibration and Characterization of a Magnetic Positioning System Using a Robotic Arm,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 68, no. 5, pp. 1494-1502, May 2019 – doi: 10.1109/TIM.2018.2885590. Preprint

A. Moschitta, A. De Angelis, F. Santoni, M. Dionigi, P. Carbone and G. De Angelis, “Estimation of the Magnetic Dipole Moment of a Coil Using AC Voltage Measurements,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 67, no. 10, pp. 2495-2503, Oct. 2018 – doi: 10.1109/TIM.2018.2828700. Preprint

A. De Angelis, J. Schoukens, K. Godfrey and P. Carbone, “Best Linear Approximation of Wiener Systems Using Multilevel Signals: Theory and Experiments,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 67, no. 5, pp. 1246-1253, May 2018 – doi: 10.1109/TIM.2017.2771962. Preprint

2017

De Angelis, G.; De Angelis, A.; Moschitta, A.; Carbone, P. “Comparison of Measurement Models for 3D Magnetic Localization and Tracking,” Sensors 2017, 17, 2527 – doi: 10.3390/s17112527. Preprint

V. Pasku et al., “Magnetic Field-Based Positioning Systems,” in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 2003-2017, thirdquarter 2017 – doi: 10.1109/COMST.2017.2684087. Preprint

V. Pasku, A. De Angelis, G. De Angelis, A. Moschitta and P. Carbone, “Magnetic Field Analysis for 3-D Positioning Applications,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 66, no. 5, pp. 935-943, May 2017 – doi: 10.1109/TIM.2017.2682738. Preprint

V. Pasku et al., “A Magnetic Ranging-Aided Dead-Reckoning Positioning System for Pedestrian Applications,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 66, no. 5, pp. 953-963, May 2017 –
doi: 10.1109/TIM.2017.2649918. Preprint

Conferences

2020

G.Cerro, L. Ferrigno, M. Laracca, F. Milano, P.Bellitti, M.Serpelloni, O. Casa Piedrafita, “On a finite domain magnetic localization by means of TMR triaxial sensors,” 2020 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Dubrovnik, Croatia, 25-28 May, accepted. Preprint

Betta G., Capriglione D., Cerro G., Ferrigno L., Milano F. (2020) “Conducted Disturbance Robustness Evaluation of a Magnetic Short-Range Localization System,” in: Di Francia G. et al. (eds) Sensors and Microsystems. AISEM 2019. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 629. Springer, Cham – doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-37558-4_55. Preprint

2019

A. Comuniello, A. D. Angelis and A. Moschitta, “Ultrasound TDoA positioning using the Best Linear Unbiased Estimator,” 2019 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Auckland, New Zealand, 2019, pp. 1-6 – doi: 10.1109/I2MTC.2019.8827071. Preprint

P. Bellitti, M. Bona, M. Borghetti, E. Sardini, M. Serpelloni, “Sistema di misura modulare e indossabile dei movimenti delle dita,” III Forum Nazionale delle Misure, Perugia, Italy, 12-14 September, 2019. Preprint

A. De Angelis, G. De Angelis, F. Santoni, M. Dionigi , M. L. Fravolini , A. Comuniello , A. Moschitta , P. Carbone, P. Bellitti, M. Bona, M. Serpelloni, E. Sardini, A. Rodio, D. Capriglione, L. Ferrigno , G.Betta, F. Milano, G. Cerro, “Six DoF Scalable Finger Tracking System,” III Forum Nazionale delle Misure, Perugia, Italy, 12-14 September, 2019. Preprint

P. Bellitti, M. Bona, M. Borghetti, E. Sardini and M. Serpelloni, “Application of a Modular Wearable System to Track Workers’ Fingers Movement in Industrial Environments,” 2019 II Workshop on Metrology for Industry 4.0 and IoT (MetroInd4.0&IoT), Naples, Italy, 2019, pp. 137-142 –
doi: 10.1109/METROI4.2019.8792859. Preprint

P. Bellitti et al., “Development of a Wirelessly-Powered Wearable System for Finger Tracking,” 2019 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Auckland, New Zealand, 2019, pp. 1-5.
doi: 10.1109/I2MTC.2019.8827062. Preprint

Bellitti P., Bona M., Sardini E., Serpelloni M. (2019) “Preliminary Study on Wearable System for Multiple Finger Tracking.” In: Andò B. et al. (eds) Sensors. CNS 2018. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 539. Springer, Cham – doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-04324-7_66. Preprint

2018

F. Santoni, A. De Angelis, A. Moschitta and P. Carbone, “Calibrating a magnetic positioning system using a robotic arm,” 2018 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Houston, TX, 2018, pp. 1-6 – doi: 10.1109/I2MTC.2018.8409697. Preprint

A. De Angelis, P. Carbone and J. Schoukens, “Generating low-distortion ternary signals using an imperfect DAC and ADC chain,” 2018 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Houston, TX, 2018, pp. 1-6 – doi: 10.1109/I2MTC.2018.8409659. Preprint

G. De Angelis, A. De Angelis, A. Moschitta and P. Carbone, “Identification of resonant circuits’ parameters using weighted-least-squares fitting,” 2018 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Houston, TX, 2018, pp. 1-5 – doi: 10.1109/I2MTC.2018.8409764. Preprint

A. De Angelis, G. De Angelis, F. Santoni, M. Dionigi, M.L. Fravolini, A. Comuniello, A. Moschitta, P. Carbone, P. Bellitti, M. Borghetti, M. Bona, M. Serpelloni, E. Sardini, F. Milano, D. Capriglione, M. Laracca, G. Miele, L. Ferrigno, G. Betta, “Six DoF scalable finger tracking system,” GMEE – II Forum Nazionale delle Misure, Padova, Italy, 17-19 September, 2018. Preprint

F. Santoni, A. D. Angelis, A. Moschitta and P. Carbone, “A Distributed Data Acquisition Architecture for Magnetic Positioning Systems,” 2018 IEEE International Systems Engineering Symposium (ISSE), Rome, 2018, pp. 1-6.
doi: 10.1109/SysEng.2018.8544394. Preprint

P. Bellitti, M. Bona, E. Sardini, M. Serpelloni, “Sistema indossabile, modulare e scalabile per il tracking dei movimenti delle dita,” GMEE – II Forum Nazionale delle Misure, Padova, Italy, 17-19 September, 2018. Preprint

Bellitti, P.; Bona, M.; Borghetti, M.; Sardini, E.; Serpelloni, M. “Sensor Analysis for a Modular Wearable Finger 3D Motion Tracking System,” Proceedings 2018, 2, 1051 – doi: 10.3390/proceedings2131051. Preprint

G. Cerro et al., “Probe Localization by Magnetic Measurements in Eddy-Current Nondestructive Testing Environment,” 2018 5th IEEE International Workshop on Metrology for AeroSpace (MetroAeroSpace), Rome, 2018, pp. 45-49 – doi: 10.1109/MetroAeroSpace.2018.8453551. Preprint

2017

A. Moschitta, A. De Angelis, F. Santoni, M. Dionigi, P. Carbone and G. De Angelis, “Accurate estimation of a coil magnetic dipole moment,” 2017 IEEE International Workshop on Measurement and Networking (M&N), Naples, 2017, pp. 1-5. – doi: 10.1109/IWMN.2017.8078357. Preprint (arXiv preprint: 1710.07054)

A. Moschitta, A. De Angelis, M. Dionigi and P. Carbone, “Analysis of simultaneous 3D positioning and attitude estimation of a planar coil using inductive coupling,” 2017 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Turin, 2017, pp. 1-6 – doi: 10.1109/I2MTC.2017.7969848. Preprint (arXiv preprint: 1710.01955)

A. De Angelis, A. Moschitta and A. Comuniello, “TDoA based positioning using ultrasound signals and wireless nodes,” 2017 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Turin, 2017, pp. 1-6. doi: 10.1109/I2MTC.2017.7969873. Preprint (arXiv preprint: 1710.07052)

A. De Angelis, P. Carbone, M. Dionigi, E. Di Giacomo, A. Stoppini, F. Radicioni and E. Tombesi, “An interactive system for exhibitions in a science and technology center,” 2017 IEEE International Systems Engineering Symposium (ISSE), Vienna, 2017, pp. 1-6. doi: 10.1109/SysEng.2017.8088271. Preprint (arXiv preprint: 1710.07056)

Other publications:

A. De Angelis, J. Schoukens, K. R. Godfrey and P. Carbone, “Practical Issues in the Synthesis of Ternary Sequences,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 212-222, Feb. 2017. doi: 10.1109/TIM.2016.2622778

V. Pasku, A. De Angelis, M. Dionigi, G. De Angelis, A. Moschitta and P. Carbone, “A Positioning System Based on Low-Frequency Magnetic Fields,” in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 2457-2468, April 2016. doi: 10.1109/TIE.2015.2499251

G. De Angelis et al., “An Indoor AC Magnetic Positioning System,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 64, no. 5, pp. 1267-1275, May 2015.
doi: 10.1109/TIM.2014.2381353

A. De Angelis et al., “Design and Characterization of a Portable Ultrasonic Indoor 3-D Positioning System,” in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 64, no. 10, pp. 2616-2625, Oct. 2015. doi: 10.1109/TIM.2015.2427892

Project partners

University of Perugia

• Project Supervision

• Development of an accurate SRWPS. Features: ring sized, 6DoF, sub centimeter accuracy, scalable, wireless powered;

• Development of a robust realtime 3D hand pose estimation algorithm from the available measurements.

University of Brescia

• In cooperation with Perugia, design of a data glove integrating an accurate SRWPS and possible bent sensors, inertial sensors, and evaluation of the self-sustainability of the wearable system adopting power harvesting techniques;

• Development of the data glove with the identified specificities and integration of the SRWPS;

• In cooperation with Cassino RU, testing of the manufactured data glove.

University of Cassino

• Experimental characterization and testing of developed systems in controlled EM environment;

• Design, testing and improvements of accurate positioning solutions for biomedical applications.

People

Paolo Carbone – Project Coordinator, University of Perugia

Mauro Serpelloni – University of Brescia, RU Coordinator

Luigi Ferrigno – University of Cassino, RU Coordinator