08-23-2002, 11:00 AM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,350
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Dasher: typing with your eyes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2209829.stm
Brad already talked about the Dasher project in June, but now the BBC has a news story on it.
"Designed by David MacKay and David Ward in the University's Department of Physics, the system uses an eyetracker which can deduce where the user is looking on the screen. Letters continuously appear on the screen, with Dasher displaying the most likely pairings or triplets of letters. It can even guess whole words. [...] The system is faster than other eyetracking systems producing up to 25 words per minute compared to the 15 word per minute currently possible. "Not only is this faster than any alternative writing system driven by an eyetracker, the frequency of spelling mistakes is about five times smaller and the new system is also less stressful to use," added Dr MacKay. [...] It is hoped that the software will be useful for handheld computers or mobile phones where there is no space for a keyboard. It could also prove invaluable in the burgeoning markets in Japan and China. Both languages have thousands of characters meaning they are poorly suited to conventional keyboards."
A Pocket PC version of this open source program (of course you'd have to provide your own eyetracker) is available for download at the Dasher Project site. Source: PDA Gerbil and Craig Maxim.
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08-23-2002, 12:55 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 34
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Actually, you don't need an eyetracker for either version--the desktop version will run off the mouse, and the PPC software will use the stylus. It's very cool stuff, but almost gives me vertigo.
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08-23-2002, 01:35 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,350
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It you want to type with your eyes (see the title of this topic) you will. Brad already explained in June that you can also use this for "regular" (if there's such a thing with this program) text entry.
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08-23-2002, 03:12 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 34
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Quote:
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It you want to type with your eyes (see the title of this topic) you will.
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Actually, it kind of scares me that people might think you could do eyeball typing WITHOUT an eyetracker. "Hey Ma, it ain't workin'!"
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08-23-2002, 03:23 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,350
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by TBone
Actually, it kind of scares me that people might think you could do eyeball typing WITHOUT an eyetracker. "Hey Ma, it ain't workin'!"
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LOL! Yeah, but in my dayjob I learned not to expect too much, and explain the obvious as well. I can get carried away with that attitude at times. 
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08-23-2002, 04:03 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,768
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tech support
Speaking of 'explaining the obvious' and 'expecting too much.'
Years ago, I managed a technical support department for a computer manufacturer and the stories we heard would make you wonder how some people survive in this world. Some thought that when they bought a 'fax' modem they could hold a paper to the monitor which of course could then 'see' the paper held up to it and send it as a fax. Or the most famous one of all.... in the days of DOS applications, when a user complained they could not find the 'any' key. The software asked the user to 'press any key to continue'
__________________
Jonathan (JonnoB)
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke
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08-23-2002, 04:22 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 34
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Well, as Douglas Adams was known to comment, who wants to live in a world where we need instructions printed on the wrappers for toothpicks?
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08-23-2002, 04:32 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,350
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Re: tech support
Quote:
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Originally Posted by JonnoB
Years ago, I managed a technical support department for a computer manufacturer and the stories we heard would make you wonder how some people survive in this world. Some thought that when they bought a 'fax' modem they could hold a paper to the monitor which of course could then 'see' the paper held up to it and send it as a fax.
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One of my collegues had one of the others on hands and knees next to the PC AC vent, holding the phone in the direction of the vent, so that he could "modem" a document into her computer. To her defense: she discovered it was stupid herself, but she was so desperate to get that document, that she didn't think clearly for a moment. It was in the days before our office was connected to the net, and of course, later that day we had to drove by and drop the document off in person.
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08-23-2002, 05:45 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 73
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Wow, I don't know if I would do this.. My eye would be tired and
get carple tunnel :lol:
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08-23-2002, 07:02 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 153
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Marlof Bregonje
If you want to type with your eyes
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So...what's the difference between typing with your eyes and banging your head against the keyboard? :shocked!:
(just a little Friday humor)
-Jim
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