Object hallmarks

Abstract

In order for objects to perform personalized or contextual functions based on identity, they must solve what we call the object user identification problem: understanding who is actually using them. In this paper, we propose a new technique that uses data from wearable wrist sensors to perform object user identification. We hypothesize that objects have unique hallmarks that are imprinted in the hand gestures of its users. By detecting the presence of an object's hallmark in the wrist sensor data, we can identify who used the object. We evaluate this concept with a smart home application: recognizing who is using an object or appliance in a multi-person home by combining smart meter data and wearables. We conduct three different studies with 10 participants: 1) a study with scripted object use 2) a study with high-level tasked activities and unscripted object use, and 3) a 5-day in-situ study. These studies indicate that our approach performs object user identification with an average accuracy of 85--90%.