Today we’re turning our attention to typing.
For years, we’ve been able to type on our devices just about anywhere we go.
But now there’s a project that can let us type on just about any surface, not just on our phones or computers.
This is a project called PropType, out of the University of Texas at Dallas.
It’s part of the world of augmented reality, where we can add digital components to physical space.
Augmented reality keyboards have already been around for a while now: we can define a space as a set of virtual “keys,” allowing us to “type” in the air.
But researchers have found that typing in the ether can be slow going for those of us who are used to typing on physical keyboards or touch-sensitive screens.
It can also make our arms tired.
So PropType adds a physical surface back to the virtual keyboard, which may feel more familiar to the typist and therefore makes for quicker, more effective typing.
And pretty much any surface will do; if you want to type on a couch cushion, or a comic book, or a casserole, go ahead.
The system will even adjust for surfaces that aren’t flat, so if you want to type on a can or an orange, it’ll work around the roundness.
The researchers are hoping this offers more options for people who need to type in situations where a keyboard doesn’t make sense or can’t physically go.
And it could lead to other kinds of interfaces beyond typing characters.
In particular, they see this haptic/AR hybrid being put to use for simulations in medical training.
I’m thinking more like all that digital stuff that popped up out of nowhere in the first TRON movie, but that’s probably just me.
Tomorrow in Selma, North Carolina, it’s Santa’s Groovy Disco Party.
I did not know that Kris Kringle could get down, but that’s the way, uh huh, uh huh, he likes it.
So practice your Bus Stops and your Snaps and see if you can keep up with a right funky old elf.
And of course you can get your picture taken with Disco Santa.
New AR system turns common surfaces into high-precision keyboards for faster input (Interesting Engineering)
Santa’s Groovy Disco Party (Johnston County NC)
With just a little bit of typing and a dollar a month, you could fund this podcast on Patreon
