Subin S B_virtual Keyboard
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CONTENTS 1. Abstract …………………………………………. 1 2. Introduction ……………………………….…….2 3.
Keyboard………………………………………..3
4.
Virtual Key board………………….……………7
5. Technologies used ……………………..………..8 6. Senseboard Keyboardless Keyboard ……….…10 7. SCURRY – The SAMSUNG Product .…….… ..12 .
8.
The CANESTA Keyboard…………………..… 13 .
9. Technology …………..……………….……….16 10. VKEY – From Virtual Devices………………...21 11. NO-Keys -- The Software ………………….....23 12. Application………………………………………25 13. Conclusion ……………………………………...27 14. Appendix ……………………………………….28 15. References ……………………………………..35
VIRTUAL KEYBOARD
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ABSTRACT A virtual keyboard is actually a key-in device, roughly a size of a fountain pen, which uses highly advanced laser technology, to project a full sized keyboard on to a flat surface. Since the invention of computers they had undergone rapid miniaturization. Disks and components grew smaller in size, but only component remained same for decades –its keyboard. Since miniaturization of a traditional keyboard is very difficult we go for virtual keyboard. Here, a camera tracks the finger movements of the typist to get the correct keystroke.A virtual keyboard is a keyboard that a user operates by typing on or within a wireless or optical –dectable surface or area rather than by depressing physical keys.
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INTRODUCTION Since
their
invention,
computers
have
undergone
rapid
miniaturization from being a ‘space saver’ to ‘as tiny as your palm’. Disks and components grew smaller in size, but one component still remained the same for decades – it’s the keyboard.
Miniaturisation of keyboard had proved nightmare for users. Users of PDAs and smart phones are annoyed by the tiny size of the keys. The new innovation Virtual Keyboard uses advanced technologies to project a fullsized computing key-board to any surface. This device has become the solution for mobile computer users who prefer to do touch-typing than cramping over tiny keys.
Typing information into mobile devices usually feels about as natural as a linebacker riding a Big Wheel. Virtual Keyboard is a way to eliminate finger cramping.
All that's needed to use the keyboard is a flat surface. Using laser technology, a bright red image of a keyboard is projected from a device such as a handheld. Detection technology based on optical recognition allows users to tap the images of the keys so the virtual keyboard behaves like a real one. It's designed to support any typing speed.
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KEYBOARD The part of the computer (also that of PDAs, smart phones etc.) that we come into most contact with is probably the piece that we think about the least. But the keyboard is an amazing piece of technology. For instance, did you know that the keyboard on a typical computer system is actually a computer itself?
Windows keyboard
At its essence, a keyboard is a series of switches connected to a microprocessor that monitors the state of each switch and initiates a specific response to a change in that state.
Types of Keyboards
Keyboards have changed very little in layout since their introduction. In fact, the most common change has simply been the natural evolution of adding more keys that provide additional functionality. DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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The most common keyboards are: •
101-key Enhanced keyboard
•
104-key Windows keyboard
•
82-key Apple standard keyboard
•
108-key Apple Extended keyboard Portable computers such as laptops quite often have custom keyboards
that have slightly different key arrangements than a standard keyboard. Also, many system manufacturers add specialty buttons to the standard layout. A typical keyboard has four basic types of keys:
•
Typing keys
•
Numeric keypad
•
Function keys
•
Control keys The typing keys are the section of the keyboard that contain the letter
keys, generally laid out in the same style that was common for typewriters. This layout, known as QWERTY for the first six letters in the layout, was originally designed to slow down fast typists by making the arrangement of the keys somewhat awkward! The reason that typewriter manufacturers did this was because the mechanical arms that imprinted each character on the paper could jam together if the keys were pressed too rapidly. Because it has been long established as a standard, and people have become accustomed to the QWERTY configuration, manufacturers developed keyboards for computers using the same layout, even though jamming is no longer an issue. Critics of the QWERTY layout have adopted another layout; Dvorak that places the most commonly used letters in the most convenient arrangement.
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An Apple Extended keyboard.
The numeric keypad is a part of the natural evolution mentioned previously. As the use of computers in business environments increased, so did the need for speedy data entry. Since a large part of the data was numbers, a set of 17 keys was added to the keyboard. These keys are laid out in the same configuration used by most adding machines and calculators, to facilitate the transition to computer for clerks accustomed to these other machines. In 1986, IBM extended the basic keyboard with the addition of function and control keys. The function keys, arranged in a line across the top of the keyboard, could be assigned specific commands by the current application or the operating system. Control keys provided cursor and screen control. Four keys arranged in an inverted T formation between the typing keys and numeric keypad allow the user to move the cursor on the display in small increments. The control keys allow the user to make large jumps in most applications. Common control keys include:
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VIRTUAL KEYBOARD •
Home
•
End
•
Insert
•
Delete
•
Page Up
•
Page Down
•
Control (Ctrl)
•
Alternate (Alt)
•
Escape (Esc)
SEMINAR 2004
The Windows keyboard adds some extra control keys: two Windows or Start keys, and an Application key. Keyboards use a variety of switch technologies. It is interesting to note that we generally like to have some audible and tactile response to our typing on a keyboard. We want to hear the keys "click" as we type, and we want the keys to feel firm and spring back quickly as we press them.
As you type, the processor in the keyboard is analyzing the key matrix and determining what characters to send to the computer. It maintains these characters in a buffer of memory that is usually about 16 bytes large. It then sends the data in a stream to the computer via some type of connection.
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VIRTUAL KEYBOARD A virtual keyboard is a keyboard that a user operates by typing (moving fingers) on or within a wireless or optical-detectable surface or area rather than by depressing physical keys. In one technology, the keyboard is projected optically on a flat surface and, as the user touches the image of a key, the optical device detects the stroke and sends it to the computer. In another technology, the keyboard is projected on an area and selected keys are transmitted as wireless signals using the short-range Bluetooth technology. With either approach, a virtual keyboard makes it possible for the user of a very small smart phone or a wearable computer to have full keyboard capability. Theoretically, with either approach, the keyboard can be in space and the user can type by moving fingers through the air! The regular QWERTY keyboard layout is provided.
All that's needed to use the keyboard is a flat surface. Using laser technology, a bright red image of a keyboard is projected from a device such as a handheld. Detection technology based on optical recognition allows users to tap the images of the keys so the virtual keyboard behaves like a real one. It's designed to support any typing speed.
Several products have been developed that use virtual keyboard to mean a keyboard that has been put on a display screen as an image map. In some cases, the keyboard can be customized. Depending on the product, the user (who may be someone unable to use a regular keyboard) can use a touch screen or a mouse to select the keys.
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We simply take our PDA and put it onto the table. It shines a keyboard onto the table and we just type on the table as if it were a keyboard. The only drawback for the touch typist is that we can't rest our fingers on the keyboard as we would normally. But the manufacturers say that 10-15 minutes of practice makes perfect.
ADVANTAGES OF VIRTURAL KEYBOARD •
Portability
•
Accuracy
•
Speed of text entry
•
Lack of need for flat or large typing surface
•
Ability to minimize the risk for repetitive strain injuries
•
Flexibility
•
Keyboard layouts can be changed by software allowing for foreign or alternative keyboard layouts
TECHNOLOGIES USED Several products have been developed by different manufacturers that use different technologies.
In one technology, the keyboard is
projected optically on a flat surface and, as the user touches the image of a key, the optical device detects the stroke and sends it to the computer. In another technology, the keyboard is projected on an area and selected keys are transmitted as wireless signals using the short-range Bluetooth technology. Both approaches make it possible for the user to work with the device with much ease.
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Some products use infrared camera to project the picture of the keyboard on a surface, while some others use laser beam. Optical recognition techniques like laser technology are used to translate finger movements.
In another product sensors are attached to the palm of users. Here sensor technology combined with artificial intelligence is used to let the user type in a virtual key environment. This is utilized in the Sense board models.
Two hand-mounted devices connect to the target computing
device with the help of Bluetooth wireless networking technology. The user can type on a hard surface like a desk or table, or into the air. Through the use of Bluetooth technology, the "typed" information is transferred wirelessly to the computer, where a word processing program analyzes and interprets the signals into readable text.
One product works by attaching motion sensors to each finger. It doesn't detect muscle movement, but rather uses gyroscopic technology to detect angular movements of fingers through space. This is applied in the Samsung models.
The Integrated Canesta Keyboard is based on a controller and two optical components that project the image of a keyboard onto any flat surface and use a light source to track the movement of fingers on that image. It uses the Electronic Perception Technology. The information picked up is formed into a 3D image with motion and translated into standard keyboard input data. Canesta's advantage is the fact that as far as the user is concerned there's no new hardware to buy or install. But PDA manufacturers are under pressure to add a raft of new features to their devices, all of which require extra components that take up valuable space and add to the always sensitive bill of materials. Canesta's advantage is the fact that as far as the user is concerned there's no new hardware to buy or
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install. But PDA manufacturers are under pressure to add a raft of new features to their devices.
VKB has developed a highly efficient method for projecting an optical image of a keyboard onto a surface. In addition, VKB has developed a detection method through several proprietary developments for the accurate and reliable detection of user interaction, such as typing or cursor control functions (e.g. mouse or touch-pad controls). VKB has resolved all the technological hurdles required to make a practical virtual interface.
There are some products which are meant for the disabled lot. It is visible on the screen and typing can be done by clicking with mouse or by touch-screen method.
SENSEBOARD KEYBOARDLESS KEYBOARD
To use the Senseboard device, we simply slip a soft rubber pad onto each palm and start typing as if a keyboard was in front of us. A demo of the product didn't work so well, however, and produced the gibberish "DNiSP" when the tester was asked to type "Comdex." The Sense board product clearly needs work. Representatives say the poor performance demonstrated for show attendees is not typical. Sense board works by tracking the muscle movements in the palm of the hand. When we DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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extendyour left pinky finger in midair and strike it down as if we were going to strike the "Q" key Senseboard displays the letter "Q" on the monitor. Two hand-mounted devices connect to the target computing device with the help of Bluetooth wireless networking technology. The user can type on a hard surface like a desk or table, or into the air. The hand-mounts measure finger movements and tell the handheld what keys the user intends to press, based on the ubiquitous QWERTY keyboard layout. There's also a pause function.
Sensors made of a combination of rubber and plastic are attached to the user's palms in such a way that they do not interfere with finger motions. Through the use of Bluetooth technology, the "typed" information is transferred wirelessly to the computer, where a word processing program analyzes and interprets the signals into readable text.
The device is currently usable via existing ports on personal digital assistants (PDAs) from Palm and other manufacturers. Senseboard officials say it eventually will be compatible with most brands of pocket PCs, mobile phones and laptop computers.
No visual mapping, recognition not recalls, easy to make errors. Only for expert touch typists.
Also the product requires specialized
software for handheld devices. For example, Senseboard software includes a dictionary program that predicts words based on common grammatical sentence structures to boost keying accuracy.
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SCURRY – THE SAMSUNG PRODUCT
Samsung's Scurry is also a wearable keyboard. It works by attaching motion sensors to each finger. It doesn't detect muscle movement, but rather uses gyroscopic technology to detect angular movements of fingers through space. This approach works better: Demonstrations on the show floor were far more impressive than its competitor's performance in terms of accuracy. However the device is too bulky. Nonfunctional prototypes of the final product are much smaller. The model demonstrated is wired. The manufacturers say, by the time their products become commercially available they will support the wireless Bluetooth protocol. Also the product requires specialized software for handheld devices.
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THE CANESTA KEYBOARD
In 1998 two inventors, Nazim Kareemi and Cyrus Bamji, struck up a conversation with an informal gathering of alumni from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Santa Clara, Calif. Bamji mentioned his concept for controlling electronic devices from a distance--in essence, a new form of remote control. "This idea was humming in my head for some time," he says, "but it didn't gel." Kareemi, an electrical engineer who had founded PenWare (now owned by Symbol Technologies), a producer of machines that record signatures electronically, took a pragmatic interest in the problem. His experience in the technology business complemented Bamji's ongoing supply of ideas, making the two an ideal team. For his part, Bamji is a jackof-all-trades and an expert at most. He earned a collection of degrees, from math to computer science, plus a doctoral degree in electrical engineering and computer science, from M.I.T. Then he worked as an architect of electronic devices and systems at Cadence Design Systems in San Jose, Calif.
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The two men followed up on their original discussion by starting to think about developing a low-cost gadget that could make a threedimensional map of its surroundings. After pondering that problem for half a year, they decided that an ideal application would be a virtual keyboard: an image of "q," "w," "e," "r," "t," "y" and the other keys projected on a desktop, where someone could press down fingers. The sequence of keystrokes would be recorded by a nearby personal electronic device or a cellular phone equipped to send electronic mail. The apparatus would register which key had been pressed by using a three-dimensional depth map, which provides information about where a particular key is located. This invention was conceived early in 1999, but financial backing for their brainchild did not come readily. "We presented the keyboard idea to a couple of venture capitalists," Bamji says. "My recollection is that they merely smiled." Yet Kareemi and Bamji believed in their invention, and by April they and an engineer colleague, Abbas Rafii, launched a company called Canesta, based in San Jose, Calif. (The company name is an acronym made from the given names of the founders, plus a few added letters to give it a ring.) They funded the company themselves for a year and then, in 2000, went after their initial round of venture capital and raised $3 million. By that fall they had gone as far as to concoct a working version of the keyboard. To devise a way for electronics to see in three dimensions, the team wanted to avoid mistakes made by others who had pursued similar technologies. Earlier researchers who had attempted to create 3-D images had relied on dual cameras and compared images pixel by pixel, a method that demands considerable computer processing. "We took a step back," Bamji explains, "and tried to have a more holistic approach. We needed a 3-D sensor to get away from problems with interpreting light from dark." Just such a sensing apparatus was incorporated in a product, the Integrated Canesta Keyboard, and introduced in September at a mobile and DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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wireless conference. The product became one of several virtual keyboards that are entering the market. The Integrated Canesta Keyboard is based on a controller and two optical components that project the image of a keyboard onto any flat surface and use a light source to track the movement of fingers on that image. It uses the Electronic Perception Technology.
It is made up of three components. ·
Pattern Projector
is used to project light onto a flat surface, forming a standard QWERTY keyboard layout or a custom layout of your choosing. ·
IR light source Bathes the keyboard in an infrared light.
·
Sensory module Picks up finger movements over the keys.
The information picked up is formed into a 3D image with motion and translated into standard keyboard input data. Canesta's advantage is the fact that as far as the user is concerned there's no new hardware to buy or install. But PDA manufacturers are under pressure to add a raft of new features to their devices, all of which require extra components that take up valuable space and add to the always sensitive bill of materials. Canesta's advantage is the fact that as far as the user is concerned there's no new hardware to buy or install. But PDA manufacturers are under pressure to add a raft of new features to their devices, all of which require extra components that take up valuable space and add to the always sensitive bill of materials.
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TECHNOLOGY ¾
Uses low-cost semiconductor-based sensors.
¾
The resolution of the chip also was not disclosed, although van Burden said that the sensor chip would recognize images up to about 30 centimeters away from the camera, in a field of view about the size of an airplane's seatback tray table. The chip can process up to 50 frames per second of information, he said. Future versions of the chip will improve the resolution of the device and the distance at which it can distinguish objects, van Burden said.
¾
Ideally, the chipset will reduce a PDA's battery life by about ten percent, a target Spare said the company hasn't quite met. However, Taiwan chip foundry UMC is fabricating the chipset on 0.25-micron silicon, leaving plenty of room for a power-reducing process shrink. The pattern projector uses the most power, requiring about 60 mW to operate and project the image. The company built in power-saving modes into the chipset, set to wake up the device at the wave of a finger.
¾
The chipset simply outputs RS232 serial keystrokes, and does not require a specific CPU, Spare said.
¾
Tricky Placement: Size and proper orientation of the three Canesta components is likely to be the biggest hurdle for handheld system makers looking to use the technology. The 0.25-micron sensor chip at the heart of the solution includes a barrel lens that senses the light bouncing off a finger. The chip and lens together measure 8 x 8 x 8 mm. The infrared light source is in a separate 6.4-
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mm diameter x 12-mm module. And the pattern projector measures 9 x 9 x 12 mm. All three devices need to point outward from the system in a similar orientation — a tricky placement and integration challenge for a PDA and one currently not feasible for the nextgeneration of relatively thin 2.5G cell phones. ¾
The company is already working on a so-called LP-2 version of the components that would shrink the controller module to 6 x 6 x 6 mm and shave size off the optical components as well.
¾
Machine Vision: According to van Burden, the EPT chip includes finely tuned timing circuits that can be used to measure each individual pixel's worth of reflected light, calculating the distance of the object away from the camera. The reflected waves can be used to reconstruct the image of the object, complete with what van Burden called a "depth map" to extend the twodimensional image into the third dimension.
¾
EPT, in fact, does not use visible light at all. Instead, a beam of infrared light—similar to that emitted by the auto focus mechanism of a camera—"paints" the object. The EPT sensor receives the light and reconstructs the image using built-in software. The EPT system consists of the infrared light source and a slightly modified conventional CMOS imaging chip, similar to those used in digital cameras. Canesta has built in the software inside the imaging chip, eliminating the need for a separate microcontroller.
¾
Total maximum power consumption for the three modules currently stands at 105 mW.
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Canesta Keyboard™ Perception Chipset™
The Canesta Keyboard Perception Chipset is designed to meet the stringent needs of manufacturers of portable devices. Their small size and low power requirements make them ideally suited for integration into portable devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and Tablet PCs. In addition, each module is fully self-contained simplifying the process of integrating them into an electronic device.
Canesta Keyboard Sensor Module
The Canesta Keyboard Sensor Module (SM-CK100) serves as the eyes of the Canesta Keyboard Perception Chipset and features Canesta's patent-pending electronic perception technology. It includes an integrated lens that performs all necessary filtering and focusing functions, making it easy to integrate the module into a final product. Working in conjunction with the Canesta Keyboard Light Source, the SM-CK100 enables both keyboard data input and mouse functionality without the confining limitations of a physical form factor.
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The Canesta Keyboard Sensor Module operates by locating the user's fingers in 3-D space and tracking the intended keystrokes. Tracking and keystroke information is processed onboard the SM-CK100 without assistance from the device processor. Keystroke information can then be output to the device via an RS232 or USB interface.
Canesta Keyboard IR Light Source
The Canesta Keyboard Light Source (IR-CK100) plays a critical role in any Canesta Keyboard Perception Chipset implementation by enabling Canesta's patented electronic perception technology. The module collects the IR laser diode and all the associated optics into a single concise package, making it easy to integrate into a final product. The IR Light Source operates by emitting a beam of infrared light. This light beam is designed to overlap the area on which the Canesta Keyboard Pattern Projector (PP-CK100) displays the keyboard layout so that the user's fingers are illuminated by the infrared light beam. The Canesta Keyboard Sensor Module (SM-CK100) detects the finger movement and the typing activity is resolved into the appropriate keystrokes or mouse actions.
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Canesta Keyboard Pattern Projector
The Canesta Keyboard Pattern Projector (PP-CK100) presents the image of the Canesta Keyboard. The Projector features a wide-angle lens so that a large pattern can be projected from the relatively low elevations associated with mobile devices. When activated, the Pattern Projector displays a standard QWERTY keyboard layout onto a flat surface such as a desk, or the side of a briefcase. The projected keyboard image can then be used to enter data into the device, such as a cell phone or a PDA, in an efficient and familiar way. The default projected keyboard pattern has been optimized to improve typing accuracy and include shortcut keys for popular applications. Interested manufacturers can have custom layouts incorporated into the Canesta Keyboard Pattern Projector to meet the unique needs of their target market. To further improve usability, the Canesta Pattern Projector features adjustable brightness levels so that both manufacturers and end users can configure the Pattern Projector to best meet the unique requirements of the application environment and their individual preferences.
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VKEY – FROM VIRTUAL DEVICES
Pennsylvania-BASED
virtual
Devices
has
introduced
a
revolutionary keyboard, called the Vkey, for next-generation handheld devices. The ides behind the camera is use of an infrared camera that projects the picture of a keyboard on a surface while the camera tracks the movement of our fingers on the surface and structured light to interpret and analyse keystrokes and mouse functions, enabling us to compose e-mails or interact with wordprocessors and spreadsheets.
The keyboard translates finger movements to keystrokes with a high degree of precision and may be a viable replacement for standard keyboards. The technology will let businessmen carry a fully functional computer in their pockets.
Virtual Devices (VDI) is not only looking at the PDA market, however - they also want to try and crack the wireless desktop workstation market, as well as the cellular market, which has experienced a phenomenal boom in short message services (sms). It also has potential in the wearable personal computer market (which so far has proved a huge disappointment, mainly because no one wants to become the ultimate geek by actually DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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wearing their computer - do they?), as well as for industrial applications like ATM machines and pay telephones.
"VDI believes that the virtual
keyboard is the last piece in the evolving convergence of personal computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and the internet.
VIRTUAL KEYBOARD FROM VKB A full-size fully functional virtual keyboard that can be projected and touchedon
any surface is shown by Siemens Procurement Logistics
Services at the CeBIT fair in Hanover, northern Germany, on Monday, March 18, 2002. The virtual interface from Developer VKB Inc. from Jerusalem in Israel can be integrated in mobile phones, laptops, tablet PCs, or clean, sterile and medical environments and could be a revolution for the data entry of any mini computer. The mini projector that detects user interaction with the surface also simulates a mousepad.
VKB has developed a highly efficient method for projecting an optical image of a keyboard onto a surface. In addition, VKB has developed a detection method through several proprietary developments for the accurate and reliable detection of user interaction, such as typing or cursor control functions (e.g. mouse or touch-pad controls). VKB has resolved all the technological hurdles required to make a practical virtual interface. Include minimizing the power consumption, minimal component size, simple processing, high accuracy and ease of use. VKB has filed numerous patents on
its
core
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technology
and
22
related
applications.
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NO-KEYS -- THE SOFTWARE No-Keys is a computer software program that displays a picture of a computer keyboard on the screen. Users can "type" on this virtual keyboard using a mouse, trackball, or similar pointing device. (A scan option is also provided for people who cannot move any pointing device at all.) Whatever keys are typed on the virtual keyboard are sent to another program (such as a word processor, email program, text-to-speech program, etc.) selected by the user. This allows you to operate the computer entirely with the mouse or other pointing device. This is intended primarily for computer users who have limited mobility, such as people suffering from MD, MS, stroke, or similar handicaps or disabilities. It can also be used for touch screen computers to eliminate the need for the keyboard.
The current version is version 5.0. This is a new and improved version that allows the user to create custom keyboard configurations. You can now put exactly the keys you want on the keyboard in whatever order and arrangement you want.
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The program is distributed as shareware. This means that you can download the program and use it for 60 days without paying for it. If you decide you want to continue using the program after 60 days, you must pay the $30 registration fee.
CLICK-N-TYPE KEYBOARD
Click-N-Type is an on-screen virtual keyboard designed for anyone with a disability that prevents him or her from typing on a physical computer keyboard. As long as the person can control a mouse, trackball or other pointing device, he or she can send keystrokes to virtually any Windows application or DOS application that can run within a window. Click-N-Type
is
a
32
bit
application
that
requires
Windows
95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP or later. There are other virtual keyboards around but you'll find Click-N-Type the easiest to use for getting text into those uncooperative places like browser URL "Address:" fields, Email "To:" addresses, Email "Subject:" fields, dialog boxes like "Open" and "Save As...", and many other problematic applications. You'll see they all work fine while typing into Notepad or WordPad, but when you attempt to do some real work, you'll get really annoyed really fast. Click-N-Type was designed with ease of use foremost in mind.
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The basic Click-N-Type keyboard could be completely visible on a screen of any size or resolution. The Click-N-Type window is fully resizable to our needs and can be repositioned to any place on our screen. There are many options to modify its appearance. For example, the Speed Keyboard option changes the alphabetic key layout based on the frequency of letter usage in the English language. This keeps our mouse movement to a minimum and speeds up typing. We can also customize our alphabet to fit our needs. For more specialized needs, we can even build our own keyboard. Of course, when not in use Click-N-Type may be minimized so it's out of our way.
APPLICATIONS Writing sentences on PDAs still requires a lot of patience and practice. Some older models require people to enter data with a proprietary scrawl, while newer models use tiny keyboards that require dexterous, strong thumbs. And full-size keyboards just don't go well with the latest svelte devices. Even though these (handheld) devices are capable of sophisticated applications there's really no way to reasonably use those applications, especially those that require entering data, like e-mail. Virtual keyboards project an image of a full-size keyboard on any flat surface. It also emits an infrared beam that detects the position and motion of a typist's hands. Tapping on the image of a key produces the corresponding character on the device. In addition to small devices projection keyboards could be used to create a control-panel projection that offers virtual knobs and switches for use in hazardous environments, as well as in medical markets where sterile data entry is a concern.Even though PDAs have capabilities like word processing and spreadsheets, they’re generally not utilized because they
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lack a practical keyboard. Virtual Keyboard provides a full-size computer keyboard that disappears when not in use.
The keyboard will be convenient for people who travel so they can easily access information through web pages. So when designing pages, it will be important to make sure the pages include complete and updated information.
This keyboard will be efficient for individuals that have physical disabilities. This technology will provide a keyboard that does not require force to activate the keys.Since a virtual keyboard does not violate the sterile environment, this has wide applications in the medical field. Moreover the technology will cause our laptops and palmhelds to shrink to pocket computers.
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CONCLUSION Writing sentences on PDAs still requires a lot of patience and practice. Some older models require people to enter data with a proprietary scrawl, while newer models use tiny keyboards that require dexterous, strong thumbs. And full-size keyboards just don't go well with the latest svelte devices. Virtual keyboards are projected images of the real thing that let typists compose their sentences on any flat surface. They are inching closer to store shelves. The keyboard will be convenient for people who travel so they can easily access information through web pages. This will be efficient for individuals that have physical disabilities. This technology will provide a keyboard that does not require force to activate the keys. It will serve disabled people better. Virtual keyboard is the last piece in the evolving convergence of personal computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and the internet. Hope soon the time will arrive when the laptops shrink more to pocket devices and the now available pocket devices still smaller.
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Appendix I Smart phone The term smart phone is sometimes used to characterize a wireless telephone set with special computer-enabled features not previously associated with telephones. In addition to functioning as an ordinary telephone, a smartphone's features may include: •
Wireless e-mail, Internet, Web browsing, and fax
•
Intercom function
•
Personal information management
•
Online banking
•
LAN connectivity
•
Graffiti style data entry
•
Local data transfer between phone set and computers
•
Remote data transfer between phone set and computers
•
Remote control of computers
•
Remote control of home or business electronic systems
Wearable computers Some inventors and other theorists not only believe you could wear a computer; they believe there's no reason why you shouldn't. Assuming you remembered to wear it, a wearable computer is always available. Currently, several companies sell wearables and there is a considerable literature on the subject. Some wearable computers are basically desktop or notebook computers that have been scaled down for body-wear. Others employ brand DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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new technology. Both general and special purposes are envisioned. A number of wearables have been designed for the disabled.
Among the challenges of wearable computers are: how to minimize their weight and bulkiness, how and where to locate the display, and what kind of data entry device to provide. Some of the applications envisioned for wearable computers include: Augmented memory, a concept originated by Thad Starner and being developed by Bradley Rhodes at the MIT Media Lab, in which as you enter a room, your wearable computer could sense the people present and remind you of their names or personal history, or a scheduler could whisper the time of an important meeting in your ear, or a "remembrance agent" could look for related documents by observing the words you were typing Immediate access to important data for anyone whose occupation requires mobility, such as real estate agents, rural doctors, fire and police professionals, lawyers in courtrooms, horse bettors, military personnel, stock brokers, and many others The ability to take notes immediately. For example, for reporters, geologists, botanists, vendor show representatives, field service repair personnel.
Wearable computers In Web page development, an image map is a graphic image defined so that a user can click on different areas of the image and be linked to different destinations. You make an image map by defining each of the sensitive areas in terms of their x and y coordinates (that is, a certain horizontal distance and a certain vertical distance from the left-hand corner of the image). With each set of coordinates, you specify a Uniform Resource Locator or Web address that will be linked to when the user clicks on that area. DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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The X and Y coordinates are expressed in pixels either in a separate file called a map file or in the same HTML file that contains the link to the image map. Popular tools like MapEdit provide a graphical interface for creating an image map (so that you don't have to figure out the X and Y coordinate numbers yourself).
Originally, the map file had to be sent to the server. Now the creator can place the map information either at the server or at the client (a "clientside map"). Image maps are used widely on many Web sites as a more adventuresome form of main menu.
TouchScreen A touch screen is a computer display screen that is sensitive to human touch, allowing a user to interact with the computer by touching pictures or words on the screen. Touch screens are used with information kiosks, computer-based training devices, and systems designed to help individuals who have difficulty manipulating a mouse or keyboard. Touch screen technology can be used as an alternative user interface with applications that normally require a mouse, such as a Web browser. Some applications are designed specifically for touch screen technology, often having larger icons and links than the typical PC application. Monitors are available with built-in touch screen technology or individuals can purchase a touch screen kit. A touch screen kit includes a touch screen panel, a controller, and a software driver. The touch screen panel is a clear panel attached externally to the monitor that plugs into a serial or Universal Serial Bus (USB) port or a bus card installed inside the computer. The touch screen panel registers touch events and passes these signals to the controller. The controller then processes the signals and sends the data to the processor. The software driver translates touch events into mouse events. Drivers can be provided for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Internal touch screen DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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kits are available but require professional installation because they must be installed inside the monitor.
There are three types of touch screen technology: Resistive: A resistive touch screen panel is coated with a thin metallic electrically conductive and resistive layer that causes a change in the electrical current which is registered as a touch event and sent to the controller for processing. Resistive touch screen panels are generally more affordable but offer only 75% clarity and the layer can be damaged by sharp objects. Resistive touch screen panels are not affected by outside elements such as dust or water.
Surface wave: Surface wave technology uses ultrasonic waves that pass over the touch screen panel. When the panel is touched, a portion of the wave is absorbed. This change in the ultrasonic waves registers the position of the touch event and sends this information to the controller for processing. Surface wave touch screen panels are the most advanced of the three types, but they can be damaged by outside elements. Capacitive: A capacitive touch screen panel is coated with a material that stores electrical charges. When the panel is touched, a small amount of charge is drawn to the point of contact. Circuits located at each corner of the panel measure the charge and send the information to the controller for processing. Capacitive touch screen panels must be touched with a finger unlike resistive and surface wave panels that can use fingers and stylus. Capacitive touch screens are not affected by outside elements and have high clarity.
Sensor Chips Most people understand that light takes a finite time to travel between two points -- that photons of light from two different stars, for example, may have started their journeys years, or even millennia apart. Since light DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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travels essentially at a constant speed, if you know the time, you can calculate the distance. The light illuminating each individual pixel in an image sensor comes from a different feature in the scene being viewed. Canesta recognized that if you could determine the amount of time that light takes to reach each pixel, you then could calculate with certainty the exact distance to that feature. In other words, you could develop a three-dimensional "relief" map of the surfaces in the scene. In three dimensions, objects previously indistinguishable from the background, for example, metaphorically "pop" out. For a broad class of applications, this proves extremely helpful in reducing the mathematical and physical complexity that has plagued computer vision applications from the start. In a recently-granted U.S. patent, Canesta describes several of its inventions for "timing" the travel time of light to a unique, new class of low-cost sensor chips.
Fundamentally, the chips work in a manner similar to radar, where the distance to remote objects is calculated by measuring the time it takes an electronic burst of radio waves to make the round trip from a transmitting antenna to a reflective object (like a metal airplane) and back. In the case of these chips, however, a burst of unobtrusive light is transmitted instead. The chips, which are not fooled by ambient light, either then time the duration it takes the pulse to reflect back to each pixel, using high speed, on-chip timers, in one method, or simply count the number of returning photons -- an indirect measure of the distance, in another. In either case, the result is an array of "distances" that provides a mathematically accurate, dynamic "relief" map of the surfaces being imaged. The image and distance information is then handed off to an onDEPARTMENT OF ECE
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chip processor running Canesta's proprietary imaging software that further refines the 3-D representation before sending it off chip to the OEM application.
Image Precessing Software The
second
component
of
Canesta's
electronic
perception
technology is a robust body of new, "industrial grade" software designed for real-world applications. Since Canesta's software starts with a three-dimensional view of the world, provided "for free" by the hardware, it has a substantial advantage over classical image processing software that struggles to construct threedimensional representations using complex mathematics, and using images from multiple cameras or points of view. This significant reduction in complexity makes it possible to embed the application-independent portion of the processing software directly into the chips themselves so they may be used in the most modestly-priced, and even pocket-sized, electronic devices. In addition, it accounts for the remarkable ability of the technology to compute 3-dimensional image maps at more than 50 frames per second; remarkable compared to existing technology that can take from several seconds to several minutes to generate a 3-dimensional representation of a single, static frame. Finally, with an expectation of its use not only in mission critical applications such as medical instrumentation, automotive, or security, but in the notoriously unforgiving consumer products arena, Canesta's software features tolerant, self calibrating algorithms, and is built using a layered software model that features compact code, for ease of embedding in modest applications. Although the foregoing discussion has focused on two specific electronic perception chip designs, Canesta, with over 20 hardware and software patents filed, and with more on the way, has substantial research and
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development initiatives underway that will result in future technology disclosures, product announcements, and strategic alliances well beyond what is discussed here.
Electronic Perception Technology Electronic perception technology permits machines, consumer and electronic devices, or virtually any other class of modern product to perceive and react to objects and individuals in the nearby environment in real time, particularly through the medium of "sight," utilizing low-cost, high-performance, embedded sensors and software. What sets electronic perception technology apart from classical "computer vision" applications, is that for the first time, actionable information can be developed in real time by observation of the nearby environment utilizing an ultra-low-cost sensor technology that is a size comparable to that found in nature. And as portable.
The goal of electronic perception technology is to make it
possible for devices or applications of any complexity, from "lightweight" appliances, PDAs, cell phones, or games, to heavyweight vehicle control, airport security, or national security-class applications, to be able to perceive objects and features in the nearby environment such that identification and action are practical and possible.///Canesta has taken a leadership role in defining and implementing practical electronic perception technology with the development of low-cost, semiconductor-based image sensor chip technology and powerful embedded image processing software. Canesta's technology provides actionable perceptions or identifications to third-party applications that permit these applications embedding Canesta's technology to react in a manner appropriate to their function.
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REFERENCE Websites
:
www.pcworld.com www.senseboard.com www.canesta.com www.ananova.com www.virtual-keyboard.com www.lakefolks.com www.time.com
Other References : Electronics for you Scientific American
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Keyboard………………………………………..3
4.
Virtual Key board………………….……………7
5. Technologies used ……………………..………..8 6. Senseboard Keyboardless Keyboard ……….…10 7. SCURRY – The SAMSUNG Product .…….… ..12 .
8.
The CANESTA Keyboard…………………..… 13 .
9. Technology …………..……………….……….16 10. VKEY – From Virtual Devices………………...21 11. NO-Keys -- The Software ………………….....23 12. Application………………………………………25 13. Conclusion ……………………………………...27 14. Appendix ……………………………………….28 15. References ……………………………………..35
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ABSTRACT A virtual keyboard is actually a key-in device, roughly a size of a fountain pen, which uses highly advanced laser technology, to project a full sized keyboard on to a flat surface. Since the invention of computers they had undergone rapid miniaturization. Disks and components grew smaller in size, but only component remained same for decades –its keyboard. Since miniaturization of a traditional keyboard is very difficult we go for virtual keyboard. Here, a camera tracks the finger movements of the typist to get the correct keystroke.A virtual keyboard is a keyboard that a user operates by typing on or within a wireless or optical –dectable surface or area rather than by depressing physical keys.
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INTRODUCTION Since
their
invention,
computers
have
undergone
rapid
miniaturization from being a ‘space saver’ to ‘as tiny as your palm’. Disks and components grew smaller in size, but one component still remained the same for decades – it’s the keyboard.
Miniaturisation of keyboard had proved nightmare for users. Users of PDAs and smart phones are annoyed by the tiny size of the keys. The new innovation Virtual Keyboard uses advanced technologies to project a fullsized computing key-board to any surface. This device has become the solution for mobile computer users who prefer to do touch-typing than cramping over tiny keys.
Typing information into mobile devices usually feels about as natural as a linebacker riding a Big Wheel. Virtual Keyboard is a way to eliminate finger cramping.
All that's needed to use the keyboard is a flat surface. Using laser technology, a bright red image of a keyboard is projected from a device such as a handheld. Detection technology based on optical recognition allows users to tap the images of the keys so the virtual keyboard behaves like a real one. It's designed to support any typing speed.
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KEYBOARD The part of the computer (also that of PDAs, smart phones etc.) that we come into most contact with is probably the piece that we think about the least. But the keyboard is an amazing piece of technology. For instance, did you know that the keyboard on a typical computer system is actually a computer itself?
Windows keyboard
At its essence, a keyboard is a series of switches connected to a microprocessor that monitors the state of each switch and initiates a specific response to a change in that state.
Types of Keyboards
Keyboards have changed very little in layout since their introduction. In fact, the most common change has simply been the natural evolution of adding more keys that provide additional functionality. DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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The most common keyboards are: •
101-key Enhanced keyboard
•
104-key Windows keyboard
•
82-key Apple standard keyboard
•
108-key Apple Extended keyboard Portable computers such as laptops quite often have custom keyboards
that have slightly different key arrangements than a standard keyboard. Also, many system manufacturers add specialty buttons to the standard layout. A typical keyboard has four basic types of keys:
•
Typing keys
•
Numeric keypad
•
Function keys
•
Control keys The typing keys are the section of the keyboard that contain the letter
keys, generally laid out in the same style that was common for typewriters. This layout, known as QWERTY for the first six letters in the layout, was originally designed to slow down fast typists by making the arrangement of the keys somewhat awkward! The reason that typewriter manufacturers did this was because the mechanical arms that imprinted each character on the paper could jam together if the keys were pressed too rapidly. Because it has been long established as a standard, and people have become accustomed to the QWERTY configuration, manufacturers developed keyboards for computers using the same layout, even though jamming is no longer an issue. Critics of the QWERTY layout have adopted another layout; Dvorak that places the most commonly used letters in the most convenient arrangement.
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An Apple Extended keyboard.
The numeric keypad is a part of the natural evolution mentioned previously. As the use of computers in business environments increased, so did the need for speedy data entry. Since a large part of the data was numbers, a set of 17 keys was added to the keyboard. These keys are laid out in the same configuration used by most adding machines and calculators, to facilitate the transition to computer for clerks accustomed to these other machines. In 1986, IBM extended the basic keyboard with the addition of function and control keys. The function keys, arranged in a line across the top of the keyboard, could be assigned specific commands by the current application or the operating system. Control keys provided cursor and screen control. Four keys arranged in an inverted T formation between the typing keys and numeric keypad allow the user to move the cursor on the display in small increments. The control keys allow the user to make large jumps in most applications. Common control keys include:
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Home
•
End
•
Insert
•
Delete
•
Page Up
•
Page Down
•
Control (Ctrl)
•
Alternate (Alt)
•
Escape (Esc)
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The Windows keyboard adds some extra control keys: two Windows or Start keys, and an Application key. Keyboards use a variety of switch technologies. It is interesting to note that we generally like to have some audible and tactile response to our typing on a keyboard. We want to hear the keys "click" as we type, and we want the keys to feel firm and spring back quickly as we press them.
As you type, the processor in the keyboard is analyzing the key matrix and determining what characters to send to the computer. It maintains these characters in a buffer of memory that is usually about 16 bytes large. It then sends the data in a stream to the computer via some type of connection.
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VIRTUAL KEYBOARD A virtual keyboard is a keyboard that a user operates by typing (moving fingers) on or within a wireless or optical-detectable surface or area rather than by depressing physical keys. In one technology, the keyboard is projected optically on a flat surface and, as the user touches the image of a key, the optical device detects the stroke and sends it to the computer. In another technology, the keyboard is projected on an area and selected keys are transmitted as wireless signals using the short-range Bluetooth technology. With either approach, a virtual keyboard makes it possible for the user of a very small smart phone or a wearable computer to have full keyboard capability. Theoretically, with either approach, the keyboard can be in space and the user can type by moving fingers through the air! The regular QWERTY keyboard layout is provided.
All that's needed to use the keyboard is a flat surface. Using laser technology, a bright red image of a keyboard is projected from a device such as a handheld. Detection technology based on optical recognition allows users to tap the images of the keys so the virtual keyboard behaves like a real one. It's designed to support any typing speed.
Several products have been developed that use virtual keyboard to mean a keyboard that has been put on a display screen as an image map. In some cases, the keyboard can be customized. Depending on the product, the user (who may be someone unable to use a regular keyboard) can use a touch screen or a mouse to select the keys.
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We simply take our PDA and put it onto the table. It shines a keyboard onto the table and we just type on the table as if it were a keyboard. The only drawback for the touch typist is that we can't rest our fingers on the keyboard as we would normally. But the manufacturers say that 10-15 minutes of practice makes perfect.
ADVANTAGES OF VIRTURAL KEYBOARD •
Portability
•
Accuracy
•
Speed of text entry
•
Lack of need for flat or large typing surface
•
Ability to minimize the risk for repetitive strain injuries
•
Flexibility
•
Keyboard layouts can be changed by software allowing for foreign or alternative keyboard layouts
TECHNOLOGIES USED Several products have been developed by different manufacturers that use different technologies.
In one technology, the keyboard is
projected optically on a flat surface and, as the user touches the image of a key, the optical device detects the stroke and sends it to the computer. In another technology, the keyboard is projected on an area and selected keys are transmitted as wireless signals using the short-range Bluetooth technology. Both approaches make it possible for the user to work with the device with much ease.
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Some products use infrared camera to project the picture of the keyboard on a surface, while some others use laser beam. Optical recognition techniques like laser technology are used to translate finger movements.
In another product sensors are attached to the palm of users. Here sensor technology combined with artificial intelligence is used to let the user type in a virtual key environment. This is utilized in the Sense board models.
Two hand-mounted devices connect to the target computing
device with the help of Bluetooth wireless networking technology. The user can type on a hard surface like a desk or table, or into the air. Through the use of Bluetooth technology, the "typed" information is transferred wirelessly to the computer, where a word processing program analyzes and interprets the signals into readable text.
One product works by attaching motion sensors to each finger. It doesn't detect muscle movement, but rather uses gyroscopic technology to detect angular movements of fingers through space. This is applied in the Samsung models.
The Integrated Canesta Keyboard is based on a controller and two optical components that project the image of a keyboard onto any flat surface and use a light source to track the movement of fingers on that image. It uses the Electronic Perception Technology. The information picked up is formed into a 3D image with motion and translated into standard keyboard input data. Canesta's advantage is the fact that as far as the user is concerned there's no new hardware to buy or install. But PDA manufacturers are under pressure to add a raft of new features to their devices, all of which require extra components that take up valuable space and add to the always sensitive bill of materials. Canesta's advantage is the fact that as far as the user is concerned there's no new hardware to buy or
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install. But PDA manufacturers are under pressure to add a raft of new features to their devices.
VKB has developed a highly efficient method for projecting an optical image of a keyboard onto a surface. In addition, VKB has developed a detection method through several proprietary developments for the accurate and reliable detection of user interaction, such as typing or cursor control functions (e.g. mouse or touch-pad controls). VKB has resolved all the technological hurdles required to make a practical virtual interface.
There are some products which are meant for the disabled lot. It is visible on the screen and typing can be done by clicking with mouse or by touch-screen method.
SENSEBOARD KEYBOARDLESS KEYBOARD
To use the Senseboard device, we simply slip a soft rubber pad onto each palm and start typing as if a keyboard was in front of us. A demo of the product didn't work so well, however, and produced the gibberish "DNiSP" when the tester was asked to type "Comdex." The Sense board product clearly needs work. Representatives say the poor performance demonstrated for show attendees is not typical. Sense board works by tracking the muscle movements in the palm of the hand. When we DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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extendyour left pinky finger in midair and strike it down as if we were going to strike the "Q" key Senseboard displays the letter "Q" on the monitor. Two hand-mounted devices connect to the target computing device with the help of Bluetooth wireless networking technology. The user can type on a hard surface like a desk or table, or into the air. The hand-mounts measure finger movements and tell the handheld what keys the user intends to press, based on the ubiquitous QWERTY keyboard layout. There's also a pause function.
Sensors made of a combination of rubber and plastic are attached to the user's palms in such a way that they do not interfere with finger motions. Through the use of Bluetooth technology, the "typed" information is transferred wirelessly to the computer, where a word processing program analyzes and interprets the signals into readable text.
The device is currently usable via existing ports on personal digital assistants (PDAs) from Palm and other manufacturers. Senseboard officials say it eventually will be compatible with most brands of pocket PCs, mobile phones and laptop computers.
No visual mapping, recognition not recalls, easy to make errors. Only for expert touch typists.
Also the product requires specialized
software for handheld devices. For example, Senseboard software includes a dictionary program that predicts words based on common grammatical sentence structures to boost keying accuracy.
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SCURRY – THE SAMSUNG PRODUCT
Samsung's Scurry is also a wearable keyboard. It works by attaching motion sensors to each finger. It doesn't detect muscle movement, but rather uses gyroscopic technology to detect angular movements of fingers through space. This approach works better: Demonstrations on the show floor were far more impressive than its competitor's performance in terms of accuracy. However the device is too bulky. Nonfunctional prototypes of the final product are much smaller. The model demonstrated is wired. The manufacturers say, by the time their products become commercially available they will support the wireless Bluetooth protocol. Also the product requires specialized software for handheld devices.
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THE CANESTA KEYBOARD
In 1998 two inventors, Nazim Kareemi and Cyrus Bamji, struck up a conversation with an informal gathering of alumni from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Santa Clara, Calif. Bamji mentioned his concept for controlling electronic devices from a distance--in essence, a new form of remote control. "This idea was humming in my head for some time," he says, "but it didn't gel." Kareemi, an electrical engineer who had founded PenWare (now owned by Symbol Technologies), a producer of machines that record signatures electronically, took a pragmatic interest in the problem. His experience in the technology business complemented Bamji's ongoing supply of ideas, making the two an ideal team. For his part, Bamji is a jackof-all-trades and an expert at most. He earned a collection of degrees, from math to computer science, plus a doctoral degree in electrical engineering and computer science, from M.I.T. Then he worked as an architect of electronic devices and systems at Cadence Design Systems in San Jose, Calif.
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The two men followed up on their original discussion by starting to think about developing a low-cost gadget that could make a threedimensional map of its surroundings. After pondering that problem for half a year, they decided that an ideal application would be a virtual keyboard: an image of "q," "w," "e," "r," "t," "y" and the other keys projected on a desktop, where someone could press down fingers. The sequence of keystrokes would be recorded by a nearby personal electronic device or a cellular phone equipped to send electronic mail. The apparatus would register which key had been pressed by using a three-dimensional depth map, which provides information about where a particular key is located. This invention was conceived early in 1999, but financial backing for their brainchild did not come readily. "We presented the keyboard idea to a couple of venture capitalists," Bamji says. "My recollection is that they merely smiled." Yet Kareemi and Bamji believed in their invention, and by April they and an engineer colleague, Abbas Rafii, launched a company called Canesta, based in San Jose, Calif. (The company name is an acronym made from the given names of the founders, plus a few added letters to give it a ring.) They funded the company themselves for a year and then, in 2000, went after their initial round of venture capital and raised $3 million. By that fall they had gone as far as to concoct a working version of the keyboard. To devise a way for electronics to see in three dimensions, the team wanted to avoid mistakes made by others who had pursued similar technologies. Earlier researchers who had attempted to create 3-D images had relied on dual cameras and compared images pixel by pixel, a method that demands considerable computer processing. "We took a step back," Bamji explains, "and tried to have a more holistic approach. We needed a 3-D sensor to get away from problems with interpreting light from dark." Just such a sensing apparatus was incorporated in a product, the Integrated Canesta Keyboard, and introduced in September at a mobile and DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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wireless conference. The product became one of several virtual keyboards that are entering the market. The Integrated Canesta Keyboard is based on a controller and two optical components that project the image of a keyboard onto any flat surface and use a light source to track the movement of fingers on that image. It uses the Electronic Perception Technology.
It is made up of three components. ·
Pattern Projector
is used to project light onto a flat surface, forming a standard QWERTY keyboard layout or a custom layout of your choosing. ·
IR light source Bathes the keyboard in an infrared light.
·
Sensory module Picks up finger movements over the keys.
The information picked up is formed into a 3D image with motion and translated into standard keyboard input data. Canesta's advantage is the fact that as far as the user is concerned there's no new hardware to buy or install. But PDA manufacturers are under pressure to add a raft of new features to their devices, all of which require extra components that take up valuable space and add to the always sensitive bill of materials. Canesta's advantage is the fact that as far as the user is concerned there's no new hardware to buy or install. But PDA manufacturers are under pressure to add a raft of new features to their devices, all of which require extra components that take up valuable space and add to the always sensitive bill of materials.
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TECHNOLOGY ¾
Uses low-cost semiconductor-based sensors.
¾
The resolution of the chip also was not disclosed, although van Burden said that the sensor chip would recognize images up to about 30 centimeters away from the camera, in a field of view about the size of an airplane's seatback tray table. The chip can process up to 50 frames per second of information, he said. Future versions of the chip will improve the resolution of the device and the distance at which it can distinguish objects, van Burden said.
¾
Ideally, the chipset will reduce a PDA's battery life by about ten percent, a target Spare said the company hasn't quite met. However, Taiwan chip foundry UMC is fabricating the chipset on 0.25-micron silicon, leaving plenty of room for a power-reducing process shrink. The pattern projector uses the most power, requiring about 60 mW to operate and project the image. The company built in power-saving modes into the chipset, set to wake up the device at the wave of a finger.
¾
The chipset simply outputs RS232 serial keystrokes, and does not require a specific CPU, Spare said.
¾
Tricky Placement: Size and proper orientation of the three Canesta components is likely to be the biggest hurdle for handheld system makers looking to use the technology. The 0.25-micron sensor chip at the heart of the solution includes a barrel lens that senses the light bouncing off a finger. The chip and lens together measure 8 x 8 x 8 mm. The infrared light source is in a separate 6.4-
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mm diameter x 12-mm module. And the pattern projector measures 9 x 9 x 12 mm. All three devices need to point outward from the system in a similar orientation — a tricky placement and integration challenge for a PDA and one currently not feasible for the nextgeneration of relatively thin 2.5G cell phones. ¾
The company is already working on a so-called LP-2 version of the components that would shrink the controller module to 6 x 6 x 6 mm and shave size off the optical components as well.
¾
Machine Vision: According to van Burden, the EPT chip includes finely tuned timing circuits that can be used to measure each individual pixel's worth of reflected light, calculating the distance of the object away from the camera. The reflected waves can be used to reconstruct the image of the object, complete with what van Burden called a "depth map" to extend the twodimensional image into the third dimension.
¾
EPT, in fact, does not use visible light at all. Instead, a beam of infrared light—similar to that emitted by the auto focus mechanism of a camera—"paints" the object. The EPT sensor receives the light and reconstructs the image using built-in software. The EPT system consists of the infrared light source and a slightly modified conventional CMOS imaging chip, similar to those used in digital cameras. Canesta has built in the software inside the imaging chip, eliminating the need for a separate microcontroller.
¾
Total maximum power consumption for the three modules currently stands at 105 mW.
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Canesta Keyboard™ Perception Chipset™
The Canesta Keyboard Perception Chipset is designed to meet the stringent needs of manufacturers of portable devices. Their small size and low power requirements make them ideally suited for integration into portable devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and Tablet PCs. In addition, each module is fully self-contained simplifying the process of integrating them into an electronic device.
Canesta Keyboard Sensor Module
The Canesta Keyboard Sensor Module (SM-CK100) serves as the eyes of the Canesta Keyboard Perception Chipset and features Canesta's patent-pending electronic perception technology. It includes an integrated lens that performs all necessary filtering and focusing functions, making it easy to integrate the module into a final product. Working in conjunction with the Canesta Keyboard Light Source, the SM-CK100 enables both keyboard data input and mouse functionality without the confining limitations of a physical form factor.
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The Canesta Keyboard Sensor Module operates by locating the user's fingers in 3-D space and tracking the intended keystrokes. Tracking and keystroke information is processed onboard the SM-CK100 without assistance from the device processor. Keystroke information can then be output to the device via an RS232 or USB interface.
Canesta Keyboard IR Light Source
The Canesta Keyboard Light Source (IR-CK100) plays a critical role in any Canesta Keyboard Perception Chipset implementation by enabling Canesta's patented electronic perception technology. The module collects the IR laser diode and all the associated optics into a single concise package, making it easy to integrate into a final product. The IR Light Source operates by emitting a beam of infrared light. This light beam is designed to overlap the area on which the Canesta Keyboard Pattern Projector (PP-CK100) displays the keyboard layout so that the user's fingers are illuminated by the infrared light beam. The Canesta Keyboard Sensor Module (SM-CK100) detects the finger movement and the typing activity is resolved into the appropriate keystrokes or mouse actions.
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Canesta Keyboard Pattern Projector
The Canesta Keyboard Pattern Projector (PP-CK100) presents the image of the Canesta Keyboard. The Projector features a wide-angle lens so that a large pattern can be projected from the relatively low elevations associated with mobile devices. When activated, the Pattern Projector displays a standard QWERTY keyboard layout onto a flat surface such as a desk, or the side of a briefcase. The projected keyboard image can then be used to enter data into the device, such as a cell phone or a PDA, in an efficient and familiar way. The default projected keyboard pattern has been optimized to improve typing accuracy and include shortcut keys for popular applications. Interested manufacturers can have custom layouts incorporated into the Canesta Keyboard Pattern Projector to meet the unique needs of their target market. To further improve usability, the Canesta Pattern Projector features adjustable brightness levels so that both manufacturers and end users can configure the Pattern Projector to best meet the unique requirements of the application environment and their individual preferences.
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VKEY – FROM VIRTUAL DEVICES
Pennsylvania-BASED
virtual
Devices
has
introduced
a
revolutionary keyboard, called the Vkey, for next-generation handheld devices. The ides behind the camera is use of an infrared camera that projects the picture of a keyboard on a surface while the camera tracks the movement of our fingers on the surface and structured light to interpret and analyse keystrokes and mouse functions, enabling us to compose e-mails or interact with wordprocessors and spreadsheets.
The keyboard translates finger movements to keystrokes with a high degree of precision and may be a viable replacement for standard keyboards. The technology will let businessmen carry a fully functional computer in their pockets.
Virtual Devices (VDI) is not only looking at the PDA market, however - they also want to try and crack the wireless desktop workstation market, as well as the cellular market, which has experienced a phenomenal boom in short message services (sms). It also has potential in the wearable personal computer market (which so far has proved a huge disappointment, mainly because no one wants to become the ultimate geek by actually DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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wearing their computer - do they?), as well as for industrial applications like ATM machines and pay telephones.
"VDI believes that the virtual
keyboard is the last piece in the evolving convergence of personal computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and the internet.
VIRTUAL KEYBOARD FROM VKB A full-size fully functional virtual keyboard that can be projected and touchedon
any surface is shown by Siemens Procurement Logistics
Services at the CeBIT fair in Hanover, northern Germany, on Monday, March 18, 2002. The virtual interface from Developer VKB Inc. from Jerusalem in Israel can be integrated in mobile phones, laptops, tablet PCs, or clean, sterile and medical environments and could be a revolution for the data entry of any mini computer. The mini projector that detects user interaction with the surface also simulates a mousepad.
VKB has developed a highly efficient method for projecting an optical image of a keyboard onto a surface. In addition, VKB has developed a detection method through several proprietary developments for the accurate and reliable detection of user interaction, such as typing or cursor control functions (e.g. mouse or touch-pad controls). VKB has resolved all the technological hurdles required to make a practical virtual interface. Include minimizing the power consumption, minimal component size, simple processing, high accuracy and ease of use. VKB has filed numerous patents on
its
core
DEPARTMENT OF ECE
technology
and
22
related
applications.
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NO-KEYS -- THE SOFTWARE No-Keys is a computer software program that displays a picture of a computer keyboard on the screen. Users can "type" on this virtual keyboard using a mouse, trackball, or similar pointing device. (A scan option is also provided for people who cannot move any pointing device at all.) Whatever keys are typed on the virtual keyboard are sent to another program (such as a word processor, email program, text-to-speech program, etc.) selected by the user. This allows you to operate the computer entirely with the mouse or other pointing device. This is intended primarily for computer users who have limited mobility, such as people suffering from MD, MS, stroke, or similar handicaps or disabilities. It can also be used for touch screen computers to eliminate the need for the keyboard.
The current version is version 5.0. This is a new and improved version that allows the user to create custom keyboard configurations. You can now put exactly the keys you want on the keyboard in whatever order and arrangement you want.
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The program is distributed as shareware. This means that you can download the program and use it for 60 days without paying for it. If you decide you want to continue using the program after 60 days, you must pay the $30 registration fee.
CLICK-N-TYPE KEYBOARD
Click-N-Type is an on-screen virtual keyboard designed for anyone with a disability that prevents him or her from typing on a physical computer keyboard. As long as the person can control a mouse, trackball or other pointing device, he or she can send keystrokes to virtually any Windows application or DOS application that can run within a window. Click-N-Type
is
a
32
bit
application
that
requires
Windows
95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP or later. There are other virtual keyboards around but you'll find Click-N-Type the easiest to use for getting text into those uncooperative places like browser URL "Address:" fields, Email "To:" addresses, Email "Subject:" fields, dialog boxes like "Open" and "Save As...", and many other problematic applications. You'll see they all work fine while typing into Notepad or WordPad, but when you attempt to do some real work, you'll get really annoyed really fast. Click-N-Type was designed with ease of use foremost in mind.
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The basic Click-N-Type keyboard could be completely visible on a screen of any size or resolution. The Click-N-Type window is fully resizable to our needs and can be repositioned to any place on our screen. There are many options to modify its appearance. For example, the Speed Keyboard option changes the alphabetic key layout based on the frequency of letter usage in the English language. This keeps our mouse movement to a minimum and speeds up typing. We can also customize our alphabet to fit our needs. For more specialized needs, we can even build our own keyboard. Of course, when not in use Click-N-Type may be minimized so it's out of our way.
APPLICATIONS Writing sentences on PDAs still requires a lot of patience and practice. Some older models require people to enter data with a proprietary scrawl, while newer models use tiny keyboards that require dexterous, strong thumbs. And full-size keyboards just don't go well with the latest svelte devices. Even though these (handheld) devices are capable of sophisticated applications there's really no way to reasonably use those applications, especially those that require entering data, like e-mail. Virtual keyboards project an image of a full-size keyboard on any flat surface. It also emits an infrared beam that detects the position and motion of a typist's hands. Tapping on the image of a key produces the corresponding character on the device. In addition to small devices projection keyboards could be used to create a control-panel projection that offers virtual knobs and switches for use in hazardous environments, as well as in medical markets where sterile data entry is a concern.Even though PDAs have capabilities like word processing and spreadsheets, they’re generally not utilized because they
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lack a practical keyboard. Virtual Keyboard provides a full-size computer keyboard that disappears when not in use.
The keyboard will be convenient for people who travel so they can easily access information through web pages. So when designing pages, it will be important to make sure the pages include complete and updated information.
This keyboard will be efficient for individuals that have physical disabilities. This technology will provide a keyboard that does not require force to activate the keys.Since a virtual keyboard does not violate the sterile environment, this has wide applications in the medical field. Moreover the technology will cause our laptops and palmhelds to shrink to pocket computers.
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CONCLUSION Writing sentences on PDAs still requires a lot of patience and practice. Some older models require people to enter data with a proprietary scrawl, while newer models use tiny keyboards that require dexterous, strong thumbs. And full-size keyboards just don't go well with the latest svelte devices. Virtual keyboards are projected images of the real thing that let typists compose their sentences on any flat surface. They are inching closer to store shelves. The keyboard will be convenient for people who travel so they can easily access information through web pages. This will be efficient for individuals that have physical disabilities. This technology will provide a keyboard that does not require force to activate the keys. It will serve disabled people better. Virtual keyboard is the last piece in the evolving convergence of personal computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and the internet. Hope soon the time will arrive when the laptops shrink more to pocket devices and the now available pocket devices still smaller.
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Appendix I Smart phone The term smart phone is sometimes used to characterize a wireless telephone set with special computer-enabled features not previously associated with telephones. In addition to functioning as an ordinary telephone, a smartphone's features may include: •
Wireless e-mail, Internet, Web browsing, and fax
•
Intercom function
•
Personal information management
•
Online banking
•
LAN connectivity
•
Graffiti style data entry
•
Local data transfer between phone set and computers
•
Remote data transfer between phone set and computers
•
Remote control of computers
•
Remote control of home or business electronic systems
Wearable computers Some inventors and other theorists not only believe you could wear a computer; they believe there's no reason why you shouldn't. Assuming you remembered to wear it, a wearable computer is always available. Currently, several companies sell wearables and there is a considerable literature on the subject. Some wearable computers are basically desktop or notebook computers that have been scaled down for body-wear. Others employ brand DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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new technology. Both general and special purposes are envisioned. A number of wearables have been designed for the disabled.
Among the challenges of wearable computers are: how to minimize their weight and bulkiness, how and where to locate the display, and what kind of data entry device to provide. Some of the applications envisioned for wearable computers include: Augmented memory, a concept originated by Thad Starner and being developed by Bradley Rhodes at the MIT Media Lab, in which as you enter a room, your wearable computer could sense the people present and remind you of their names or personal history, or a scheduler could whisper the time of an important meeting in your ear, or a "remembrance agent" could look for related documents by observing the words you were typing Immediate access to important data for anyone whose occupation requires mobility, such as real estate agents, rural doctors, fire and police professionals, lawyers in courtrooms, horse bettors, military personnel, stock brokers, and many others The ability to take notes immediately. For example, for reporters, geologists, botanists, vendor show representatives, field service repair personnel.
Wearable computers In Web page development, an image map is a graphic image defined so that a user can click on different areas of the image and be linked to different destinations. You make an image map by defining each of the sensitive areas in terms of their x and y coordinates (that is, a certain horizontal distance and a certain vertical distance from the left-hand corner of the image). With each set of coordinates, you specify a Uniform Resource Locator or Web address that will be linked to when the user clicks on that area. DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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The X and Y coordinates are expressed in pixels either in a separate file called a map file or in the same HTML file that contains the link to the image map. Popular tools like MapEdit provide a graphical interface for creating an image map (so that you don't have to figure out the X and Y coordinate numbers yourself).
Originally, the map file had to be sent to the server. Now the creator can place the map information either at the server or at the client (a "clientside map"). Image maps are used widely on many Web sites as a more adventuresome form of main menu.
TouchScreen A touch screen is a computer display screen that is sensitive to human touch, allowing a user to interact with the computer by touching pictures or words on the screen. Touch screens are used with information kiosks, computer-based training devices, and systems designed to help individuals who have difficulty manipulating a mouse or keyboard. Touch screen technology can be used as an alternative user interface with applications that normally require a mouse, such as a Web browser. Some applications are designed specifically for touch screen technology, often having larger icons and links than the typical PC application. Monitors are available with built-in touch screen technology or individuals can purchase a touch screen kit. A touch screen kit includes a touch screen panel, a controller, and a software driver. The touch screen panel is a clear panel attached externally to the monitor that plugs into a serial or Universal Serial Bus (USB) port or a bus card installed inside the computer. The touch screen panel registers touch events and passes these signals to the controller. The controller then processes the signals and sends the data to the processor. The software driver translates touch events into mouse events. Drivers can be provided for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Internal touch screen DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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kits are available but require professional installation because they must be installed inside the monitor.
There are three types of touch screen technology: Resistive: A resistive touch screen panel is coated with a thin metallic electrically conductive and resistive layer that causes a change in the electrical current which is registered as a touch event and sent to the controller for processing. Resistive touch screen panels are generally more affordable but offer only 75% clarity and the layer can be damaged by sharp objects. Resistive touch screen panels are not affected by outside elements such as dust or water.
Surface wave: Surface wave technology uses ultrasonic waves that pass over the touch screen panel. When the panel is touched, a portion of the wave is absorbed. This change in the ultrasonic waves registers the position of the touch event and sends this information to the controller for processing. Surface wave touch screen panels are the most advanced of the three types, but they can be damaged by outside elements. Capacitive: A capacitive touch screen panel is coated with a material that stores electrical charges. When the panel is touched, a small amount of charge is drawn to the point of contact. Circuits located at each corner of the panel measure the charge and send the information to the controller for processing. Capacitive touch screen panels must be touched with a finger unlike resistive and surface wave panels that can use fingers and stylus. Capacitive touch screens are not affected by outside elements and have high clarity.
Sensor Chips Most people understand that light takes a finite time to travel between two points -- that photons of light from two different stars, for example, may have started their journeys years, or even millennia apart. Since light DEPARTMENT OF ECE
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travels essentially at a constant speed, if you know the time, you can calculate the distance. The light illuminating each individual pixel in an image sensor comes from a different feature in the scene being viewed. Canesta recognized that if you could determine the amount of time that light takes to reach each pixel, you then could calculate with certainty the exact distance to that feature. In other words, you could develop a three-dimensional "relief" map of the surfaces in the scene. In three dimensions, objects previously indistinguishable from the background, for example, metaphorically "pop" out. For a broad class of applications, this proves extremely helpful in reducing the mathematical and physical complexity that has plagued computer vision applications from the start. In a recently-granted U.S. patent, Canesta describes several of its inventions for "timing" the travel time of light to a unique, new class of low-cost sensor chips.
Fundamentally, the chips work in a manner similar to radar, where the distance to remote objects is calculated by measuring the time it takes an electronic burst of radio waves to make the round trip from a transmitting antenna to a reflective object (like a metal airplane) and back. In the case of these chips, however, a burst of unobtrusive light is transmitted instead. The chips, which are not fooled by ambient light, either then time the duration it takes the pulse to reflect back to each pixel, using high speed, on-chip timers, in one method, or simply count the number of returning photons -- an indirect measure of the distance, in another. In either case, the result is an array of "distances" that provides a mathematically accurate, dynamic "relief" map of the surfaces being imaged. The image and distance information is then handed off to an onDEPARTMENT OF ECE
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chip processor running Canesta's proprietary imaging software that further refines the 3-D representation before sending it off chip to the OEM application.
Image Precessing Software The
second
component
of
Canesta's
electronic
perception
technology is a robust body of new, "industrial grade" software designed for real-world applications. Since Canesta's software starts with a three-dimensional view of the world, provided "for free" by the hardware, it has a substantial advantage over classical image processing software that struggles to construct threedimensional representations using complex mathematics, and using images from multiple cameras or points of view. This significant reduction in complexity makes it possible to embed the application-independent portion of the processing software directly into the chips themselves so they may be used in the most modestly-priced, and even pocket-sized, electronic devices. In addition, it accounts for the remarkable ability of the technology to compute 3-dimensional image maps at more than 50 frames per second; remarkable compared to existing technology that can take from several seconds to several minutes to generate a 3-dimensional representation of a single, static frame. Finally, with an expectation of its use not only in mission critical applications such as medical instrumentation, automotive, or security, but in the notoriously unforgiving consumer products arena, Canesta's software features tolerant, self calibrating algorithms, and is built using a layered software model that features compact code, for ease of embedding in modest applications. Although the foregoing discussion has focused on two specific electronic perception chip designs, Canesta, with over 20 hardware and software patents filed, and with more on the way, has substantial research and
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development initiatives underway that will result in future technology disclosures, product announcements, and strategic alliances well beyond what is discussed here.
Electronic Perception Technology Electronic perception technology permits machines, consumer and electronic devices, or virtually any other class of modern product to perceive and react to objects and individuals in the nearby environment in real time, particularly through the medium of "sight," utilizing low-cost, high-performance, embedded sensors and software. What sets electronic perception technology apart from classical "computer vision" applications, is that for the first time, actionable information can be developed in real time by observation of the nearby environment utilizing an ultra-low-cost sensor technology that is a size comparable to that found in nature. And as portable.
The goal of electronic perception technology is to make it
possible for devices or applications of any complexity, from "lightweight" appliances, PDAs, cell phones, or games, to heavyweight vehicle control, airport security, or national security-class applications, to be able to perceive objects and features in the nearby environment such that identification and action are practical and possible.///Canesta has taken a leadership role in defining and implementing practical electronic perception technology with the development of low-cost, semiconductor-based image sensor chip technology and powerful embedded image processing software. Canesta's technology provides actionable perceptions or identifications to third-party applications that permit these applications embedding Canesta's technology to react in a manner appropriate to their function.
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REFERENCE Websites
:
www.pcworld.com www.senseboard.com www.canesta.com www.ananova.com www.virtual-keyboard.com www.lakefolks.com www.time.com
Other References : Electronics for you Scientific American
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