Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 100

Senseboard "keyboard" -- WOW!!

A friend of mine pointed me to a Web site for a keyboard called Senseboard. It is wild!

If any of you Visor Central staff folks are reading this, please go visit them at the Comdex booth at Booth L2539, the Swedish Pavilion. They say they will have a prototype there.

What's so amazing is that the thing looks like two little wrist pads you velcro onto your hand. That's it! I think it senses your finger movements, because it has NO ACTUAL KEYBOARD. The thing senses your hands as you type on a desktop or otherwise flat surface. Wow!

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Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

We did go see it - on monday evening...

The device is still in like an EXTREME beta, and is right now hooked up to a box, and than serial onto a laptop. It apperaed to me that the demoer was having trouble - they wouldn't let us actually try.

The way it apepras to work, is it sences the up down motion - the bend in your fingers, and than decides where you pressed if their was a keyboard there. Eventually it will run on bluetooth - and intresting idea, maybe at CES we'll see it for real.

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-miradu

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Posts: 790

See this article for discussion about it. General consensus is that it'll never work for anyone except perfect touch-typists.

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Jeff

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Nebraska- the Good life
Posts: 695

In my field (adaptive technologies/rehabilitation), this is an old idea- sense what the muscles are trying to do instead of what they are actually doing. The technology is pretty reliable in several instances.

I'd be willing to bet that the device is sensing the muscle movements of the back of the hand as well as (maybe) the orientation of the hand in space.

Touch-typing? Heck, print a keyboard layout on a bandanna and spread that on your lap or desk until you learn. They will need something like that to set you up right anyway.

I am sure the 'pre-beta' unit is still clunky, but if the idea catches on, the mature unit might be something as simple as a pair of self-adhesive pads connected to the unit by IR.

Practical? That will depend on a lot of issues. Personally, I really like Grafitti, but I can sure see the benefits of a perfectly silent keyboard.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Posts: 790

quote:

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Originally posted by Madkins007
...Touch-typing? Heck, print a keyboard layout on a bandanna and spread that on your lap or desk until you learn. They will need something like that to set you up right anyway...

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Jeff

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 347

Plus, I don't know if I could use a keyboard that didn't give me feedback by way of keys.

It's a pretty cool idea though. I believe the idea is called negative feedback?

Registered: May 2001
Location: GA, USA
Posts: 76

How bout a training session?

Seems to me that the problem with typist like me (fast, but with my own style) you could just have the device "learn" how you type. Just like speech recognition typing.

Aaron

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 206

quote:

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PDAENVY wrote:
I would wager that only data entry techs and secretaries use the "correct" fingers and they are not a big enough market segment to make this idea fly.

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I will have to heartily disagree with that. I would include programmers and Network admins in that list to. I am and know quite a few programmers that type faster than many secretaries, and do it with touch typing.

I see this thing as move forward in technology away from clunky hardware. I'm looking forward to the day that we can control computers in a Star Trek type fasion: Natural speach. Oh, and don't forget the handy little "do-it-all" handheld console

- Burns

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 99

not worth it

I saw a picture of it - off that link on slashdot. I can't understand why you'd buy this thing. Even if it worked with blue tooth - even if it worked perfectly - 100% recognition - why is this better than the targus folding keyboard?

1. You still need a hard surface to type on
2. you need something to prop up the pda so you can see the screen
3. it's not that small - especially compared to the targus keyboard
4. no feedback - difficult to use for those keys you don't always use - I'm not great at numbers, and even worse on the special characters above them.

Anyone else? Maybe there's some sort of a special application that I'm missing here?

Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 33

quote:

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3. it's not that small - especially compared to the targus keyboard

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Registered: Mar 2001
Location: North Calolina
Posts: 38

That is very hot and unique!

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Nashville, TN USA
Posts: 125

This is old technology!
Johnny Mnemonic used one years ago!
It was a virtual reality keyboard that did exactly what this one does.
Actually I would love to try this product. I'm a touch typist that would love to try "touchless".

Just image how you'd look. Talking to yourself (actually using your visorphone and earpiece mike) and typing on a keyboard that isn't there.

Then all we'll need is a device that will display the screen using heads up technology on my glasses!

One step closer to borg-dom. Resistance is futile!

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 99

It's not that small

Ok, miradu2000, you actually saw it - so you can settle this.

I think the picture you see on that link is deceptive in MANY ways.

For starters - it's a concept image - and it doesn't sound like they're anywhere near that.

Second of all - what the picture hides - is the majority of the device is hidden underneath the hands - only a strap going across the top - which is what makes it look so small.

Lastly, and most importantly, even though it uses no keyboard at all - that doesn't mean it takes no space.

It needs batteries - for each hand - so stick a pair of AA batteries in the palm of each hand. A transmitter/reciever - blue tooth circuitry, circuitry to detect hand movement And finger movement...

When I said that it was bigger than a targus - I didn't mean bigger in actual use - who cares about size when you're sitting at a table or desk - I'm in love with the targus because it's slim and can fit in my jacket pocket - this thing looks bulky times two...

That's my point.

Even if it were $40 I wouldn't buy it (ok, maybe for $39 I'd cave in - just to show off...)