Google allowed to use radar-based sensor for hand and finger movements
FCC regulator has given Google permission to deploy a motion sensor, also known as Project Soli. It is a sensor that makes it possible, for example, to press virtual buttons with fingers.
The Federal Communications Commission authorizes Google to use radars to detect movement at close range, using frequencies between 57 and 64 GHz. This gives Google the right to initiate certification and marketing for the technology. This requires such an exception, as the FCC says the Soli device operates at higher power levels than what is currently allowed under US rules.
The US regulator says it has found that the Soli sensors, provided they function in accordance with the imposed conditions, pose only minimal risk in the form of possible harmful interference to other users in the spectrum from 57 to 64 GHz; these include the earth exploration satellite service and the radio astronomy service. Furthermore, the FCC reports that the consent is in the public interest because it allows the development of “innovative device control functionalities” based on hand gestures.
Project Soli comes from Atap, a special research department that came into the hands of Google after the acquisition of Motorola. Google already gave a demonstration of the technology at its developer conference I/O in 2015, with Soli project leader Ivan Poupyrev, for example, navigating through a smartwatch app interface just by swiping his thumb over his index finger. Minimal movements of his fingers were also detected. During the demonstration, a compact, 60GHz chip that was small enough for a wearable was used.
Ultimately, this technology could be integrated into wearables, smartphones, computers and vehicles, for example. The thinking behind this technology is that touchscreen technology is not capable of registering very subtle inputs. Radar waves can do that and they also work in the dark and go right through many materials.
Facebook objected to the technology at an earlier stage, because the sensors would operate in a part of the spectrum that could lead to disruptions in other technologies. However, in September, Google and Facebook jointly concluded that the sensors could operate at higher power levels without interference problems, although the agreed levels were lower than what Google had initially proposed.
Google originally wanted to adhere to a standard from the European Telecommunications Standards Institute: EN 305 550. This standard concerns short-range devices, such as radars that use the frequency range of 40 to 246 GHz. For the finally agreed frequency range of 57 to 64GHz, the ETSI allows a peak of 20dBm effective radiated power.