Communications of the ACM
Transforming Typewriters For the Digital Generation
A Plymouth University graduate has converted a typewriter into an interactive social tool.
Credit: MobileMarketingWatch.com
Plymouth University graduate Joe Hounsham used sensors and circuit boards to convert a typewriter into an interactive social tool. Hounsham says people will be able to use the device, called Dico, to communicate via Internet forums.
Hounsham employed an ultrasound sensor to detect when a person is approaching the device and create a connection to a random person using an Internet chat service. "I have always really enjoyed taking old technology and giving it new purpose, and suddenly thought it would be great to create a functioning typewriter with a technological twist," he says.
Hounsham notes the device transmits messages received through micro-controllers to solenoids, which pull down on the typewriter keys and type the message out on paper. The system also will occasionally encrypt a message, requiring a booklet to decrypt it, Hounsham says. He notes he wanted the device to pose questions about online security.
A recipient of a Smarter Planet Award from IBM, Hounsham says the device could potentially be used to control lights, type out news headlines, or create a retro digital guestbook.
From Plymouth University
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