Communications of the ACM
Writing Without Keyboard: Handwriting Recognition on the Wrist
Based on motion signals, a computer recognizes letters "written" in the air.
Credit: Volker Steger/KIT
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) researchers have developed an "air-writing" system that uses sensors attached to a glove to recognize hand movements as a user writes letters in the air. The movements are captured and converted into text by a computer that the user wears like clothing.
"Information technology is used any time and anywhere, but smart phones are still working on the basis of virtual keyboards and small screens," says KIT's Christoph Amma. "However, gestures allow for new types of input--in particular for mobile devices or devices integrated in clothing."
The sensors are very small and robust, and use a wireless connection to transmit signals. The system ignores movements that are not intended as writing, such as cooking or doing laundry.
In addition, KIT's system is more sophisticated than previous such technologies because it uses a pattern-recognition method with a statistical model of the characteristic signal pattern for each letter of the alphabet.
The system also recognizes individual differences in writing style, which reduces the error rate to 3 percent from an initial rate of 11 percent.
The system could be used in mixed-reality applications, such as glasses with integrated miniaturized screens that display information in a user's field of vision.
From Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
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