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Keyboard recognizes gestures

08.05.2014

Microsoft specialists have created a prototype keyboard that can recognize basic hand gestures. According to the developers, the device will be able to simplify and diversify the methods of entering information. The development was presented in Toronto at the Computer Human Interaction conference.

The prototype keyboard contains 64 sensors, which are located next to the keys. They can recognize the movements and manipulations of the hands over the keyboard. For example, if you swipe your hand from left to right, this gesture will bring up the side menu in Windows 8.

According to Stuart Taylor, a spokesman for Microsoft, the main task for the owner of the keyboard is to keep their hands either on it or very close to it when using not only keys, but also input gestures.

Part of the gestures allows you to replace existing keyboard shortcuts - for example, Alt + Tab to switch between windows. "For more complex keyboard shortcuts, gesture substitution seems easier to users," notes Taylor.

The Windows 8 operating system, introduced in 2012, and its updated version, Windows 8.1, were designed specifically for use on touchscreen devices. Therefore, following the release of the platform, numerous transformer devices became available on the market, capable of working with both a touch screen and a keypad.

At the same time, users of computers with traditional input methods - mouse and keyboard - found the novelty not very convenient. For this reason, Windows 8.1 Update 1, introduced by Microsoft this month, has addressed the needs of traditional users. Now the platform automatically detects which device is being used: for a PC, the OS is loaded with the usual "desktop", and for a tablet, a "tiled" interface is loaded.

By combining traditional keypad input with gesture recognition, the user can more easily adapt to new touch screen devices and speed up their work on a conventional PC. At the same time, as Taylor notes, the new keyboard is not capable of replacing the touchpad or computer mouse.

It took about a year and a half to develop the project at Microsoft Research. But the keyboard so far remains only a prototype, and nothing has been announced about plans to bring it to the commercial market.

There is also information about the parallel development of technology for entering information using a combination of traditional mouse and keyboard with gestures in another Microsoft Research lab. At the same time, the Kinect sensor is involved in the development.

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