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.

Joe Paradiso

Lance Borque

Philip Bramsen

Mat Laibowitz

Hong Ma

Matt Malinowski