11-05-2012, 11:01 AM
SMART QUILL
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With the introduction of handheld computers, the present trend has started preferring small computers to do computation. This has made computer manufacturers to go for almost gadget like computers. Reducing the size of handheld computers can only be taken so far before they become unusable. Keyboards become so tiny you require needle-like fingers to operate them and screens that need constant cursor controls to read simple text, so development of some technology was needed.
INTRODUCTION
Lyndsay Williams of Microsoft Research's Cambridge UK lab is the inventor of the Smart quill, a pen that can remember the words that it is used to write, and then transform them into computer text. The idea that "it would be neat to put all of a handheld-PDA type computer in a pen," came to the inventor in her sleep. Encouraged by Nigel Ballard, a leading consultant to the mobile computer industry, Williams took her prototype to the British Telecommunications Research Lab, where she was promptly hired and given money and institutional support for her project. The prototype, called Smart Quill, has been developed by world-leading research laboratories run by BT at Martlesham, eastern England. It is claimed to be the biggest revolution in handwriting since the invention of the pen.
The sleek and stylish prototype pen is different from other electronic pens on the market today in that users don't have to write on a special pad in order to record what they write. User could use any surface for writing such as paper, tablet, screen or even air. The Smart Quill isn't all space-age, though -- it contains an ink cartridge so that users can see what they write down on paper. Smart Quill contains sensors that record movement by using the earth's gravity system, irrespective of the platform used. The pen records the information inserted by the user. Your words of wisdom can also be uploaded to your PC through the “digital inkwell”, while the files that you might want to view on the pen are downloaded to Smart Quill as well.
WORKING OF SMARTQUILL
Smart Quill is slightly larger than an ordinary fountain pen. Users can enter information into these applications by pushing a button on the pen and writing down what they would like to enter. The Smart Quill does not need a screen to work. The really clever bit of the technology is its ability to read handwriting not only on paper but on any flat surface – horizontal or vertical. There is also a small three-line screen to read the information stored in the pen; users can scroll down the screen by tilting the pen slightly. The user trains the pen to recognize a particular handwriting style - no matter how messy it is, as long as it is consistent, the pen can recognize it. The handwritten notes are stored on hard disk of the pen. The pen is then plugged into an electronic "inkwell", text data is transmitted to a desktop computer, printer, or modem or to a mobile telephone to send files electronically. Up to 10 pages of notes can be stored locally on the pen. A tiny light at the tip allows writing in the dark. When the pen is kept idle for some time, power gets automatically off.
TECHNOLOGY USED
Technology used in Smart Quill for display is Kopin Corp’s Cyber Display technology. Cyber Display is a ¼ inch diagonal LCD that uses circuitry built on a silicon wafer, then removed and mounted to glass. The displays are integrated to miniature monitors using its own backlighting, optics, ICS and packaging.
HANDWRITING RECOGNITION AND SIGNATURE VERIFICATION
• Accelerometers measure hand movement in 2 or 3 planes
• On board DSP converts to ASCII characters for pen applications
• Write on paper, flat surface, vertical wall or in air
• Single character recognition on pen
• Record cursive letters and download to PC for decoding
• Password by signature recognition
Smart Quill works by measuring the pen's movements and matching them to the movements that produce letters and words programmed into its memory. It's similar to the way a microphone detects sound. Consistency of handwriting, rather than neatness, is the only condition for accuracy.
There are 2 techniques used for this purpose :-
1) Accelerometer technology
2) Handwriting recognition software
ACCELEROMETER TECHNOLOGY
This technology uses a device called Accelerometer which is used for measuring motion. A tiny accelerometer in a pen could be used to detect the stops and starts, arcs and loops of handwriting, and transmit this information to a small microprocessor that would make sense of it as text. There's also the possibility of viewing a full page of text through a special monocular magnified "virtual" screen that could be built into the end of the pen. Invisible writing in air is achieved through this unique technology called accelerometer that monitors hand movements and can also be used as a ‘virtual hinge’ to scroll around the small screen on the pen and detect left or right-handed use. It records movement by using the earth's gravity system, whether you write on paper or in the air. Hence it is independent of surface used. Movements are stored within the Smart Quill. This information is transmitted on to a small microprocessor that would make sense of it as a text displayed on the sleek built in screen.
There are 2 types of accelerometer :-
1. Two Axes Accelerometer :- This accelerometer measures acceleration in two axes. An example for Two Axes Accelerometer is ADXL202 Accelerometer.
2. Three Axes Accelerator :- This accelerometer measures acceleration in three axes. An example for Three Axes Accelerometer is Tronics +/- 2g accelerometer.