Patent ID: 8890650

Claim:
A method of operating a communication device to interface with a machine system in an industrial automation environment, the method comprising: receiving a user identifier and a machine system identifier, wherein the user identifier identifies a user and the machine identifier identifies the machine system; determining if the user is within a proximate distance to the machine system based on Radio Frequency (RF) connectivity between the communication device and the machine system; in response to determining that the user is within the proximate distance to the machine system, projecting a human-machine interface (HMI) system for the machine system on a surface, wherein the HMI system comprises a plurality of commands associated with the machine system; detecting an input from the user, wherein the input comprises a fluid motion in air performed by the user corresponding to a selection of a command of the plurality of commands associated with the machine system; and transferring the selected command for delivery to the machine system.