US scientists have come up with a way to turn human bodies into gadget controls, the BBC reports.

The system, called ‘Skinput’, uses skin sensors to record touches and a tiny projector to display menu choices on the skin.

Chris Harrison, Skinput’s creator, described the human body as “the ultimate input device”.

Together with his colleagues Desney Tan and Dan Morris from Microsoft Research, Harrison came up with a way to utilise the human body in interacting with gadgets.

According to Harrison, the physiology of the arm makes it straightforward to work out where the skin was touched.

He told the BBC: “A tap with a finger on the skin scatters useful signals throughout the arm. Some waves travel along the skin surface and others propagate through the body.”

Together with software, the sensors can be taught to understand the meaning of different locations. Functions, such as start and stop could be bound to different locations.

Read more about the invention and watch a demonstration video on the BBC website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8587486.stm