Sensate Cooktops

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In association with our TTT sponsor Schott Glass, we have launched several different projects that look at sensing and actuating in glass-ceramic cooktops. In particular, our studies have encompassed:

  • A continuous capacitive slider for controlling burner heat (in contrast with the increment-decrement buttons that are now ubiquitous). See a video clip of our prototype in action here (4.6 Meg).
  • UltraLowPower, quasipassive wakeup of sleeping cooktop electronics.
  • In-glass haptic response for capacitive button presses (note that this work has been taken further by the Palpable Machines Group at the Media Lab Europe).
  • Remote temperature monitoring of the cooktop glass above the burners using passive IR emission and active acoustics.
  • Pot detection and characterization via electric field sensing.

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Joe Paradiso

Lance Borque

Philip Bramsen

Mat Laibowitz

Hong Ma

Matt Malinowski