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Re: Character Input w/o using Hands, Voice etc.

From: "R. Paul McCarty" <>
Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 15:53:35 -0400 (EDT)

On Sat, 18 Apr 1998, Dominique Unruh wrote:

> Eugene Leitl wrote:
> 
> > Using biofeedback techiques, you can extract few bit/s from OPAMPd
> > scalp/brow myopotentials (AgCl electrodes in a headband, or geodetic
> > electrode array in a HMD mount helmet -- bald gentlemen are obviously
> > preferable), or patternmatch FFTeed EEG. The latter is really tricky, but
> > amateurs have purported it to work. If you train it real good you
> > should be able to intuitively steer a pointer (nudging by increments),
> > trigger some devices, and generally mess up your EEG pattern ;)
> Do you have more information on that?
> I'm thinking of an input system by the use of some normally unused or
> not so important body functions (e.g. EEG or small movements of eyebrow
> or little finger).

How about the tongue? admitedly, electricity is a problem, but a touch
sensative pad on the roof of your mouth would make a very ergonomic input
device. Admittedly, this would take some work, and you would have to have
some power source inside your mouth, but with a good PAN (personal area
network) you could do it.

Don't laugh, its not impossible to imagine. :)

> The speed might be less good with many solutions, but I have no idea of
> bandwidth reachable using e.g. the EEG method.
> 
> The output might be easier, a little current on the skin, just feelable,
> but not hurting, for serial output to the human.
> 
> Most of these solutions need a code like morse (but with some additional
> control sequences for i18n (composition of latin codes, perhaps even a
> very tricky system for kanji), terminal emulation (perhaps an emacs-mode
> for complete emacs-functionality via body functions?), process control
> (e.g. SIGINTs).
> I would like to develop such a code, but i'd have to get the frequencies
> of the different keystrokes. Does anybody have informations? I could
> create those tables by myself, be i'd need a key sniffer for X-Windows
> (I often heard of xkeys, but archiing and altavistaing was not
> successfull). Does anybody know such a key sniffer?

The other possibility is to measure the electric signals from the
muscles of the hand, or some other part of the body and you could just
twitch your muscles almost imperceptably and convert it into a chorded
input.

-Paul

R. Paul McCarty / DARS Coordinator /  / x52059
317 Lattimore Hall, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
Computers don't make mistakes;what they do,they do on purpose.-Dale/KOTH

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