computer science

Gesture Description Language

Gesture Description Language is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gesture Description Language rather than just read about it. In short: Gesture Description Language (GDL or GDL Technology) is a method of describing and automatic (computer) syntactic classification of gestures and movements created by Tomasz Hachaj and Marek R. Ogiela.

Key takeaways

Gesture Description Language belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Gesture Description Language to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gesture Description Language from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Gesture Description Language (GDL or GDL Technology) is a method of describing and automatic (computer) syntactic classification of gestures and movements created by Tomasz Hachaj and Marek R. Ogiela. GDL uses context-free formal grammar named GDLs (Gesture Description Language script). With GDLs it is possible to define rules that describe set of gestures. Those rules play similar role as rules in classic expert systems. With rules it is possible to define static body positions (so called key frames) and sequences of key frames that create together definitions of gestures or movements. The recognition is done by forward chaining inference engine. The latest GDL implementations utilize Microsoft Kinect controller and enable real time classification. The license for GDL-based software allows using those programs for educational and scientific purposes for free.

References

Illustrations

Official logo of GDL Technology

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gesture Description Language

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gesture Description Language claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gesture Description Language before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gesture Description Language ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gesture Description Language

In research: Gesture Description Language appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Gesture Description Language in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Gesture Description Language is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Classification algorithms, Formal languages, Gesture recognition, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gesture Description Language outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Gesture Description Language in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gesture Description Language means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Gesture Description Language out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gesture Description Language in simple terms?

Why does Gesture Description Language matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gesture Description Language?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gesture Description Language.