Pressure Sensitive Key Boards

The newest winners of the Microsoft-sponsored 20009 UIST Student Innovation Contest have been announced. This is the first year for this contest and it has sparked some interesting typing innovations.

This year’s contest was based on a new type of keyboard: the pressure sensitive keyboard. Microsoft provided contestants with a prototype of a pressure sensitive keyboard to find out what solutions they could come up with. There are many categories and many winners.

First Place -- Best Implementation went to Safelock. This device was used to authenticate a user with just an eight character password. Four attributes are measured: flight time – the time in between each keystroke, hold time – length of time each key was held, maximum pressure, and a "curve fit to the pressure over time as a user pressed each key" according to the description on www.acm.org. This should prove to be a boon to computer security.

First Place -- Most Creative went to Hidden Forces. This new keyboard allowed users to control multiple cursors. It did this by using magnets. One small magnet was placed underneath each of the keyboard keys with the north side facing up. A larger magnet with the north side facing down was used a cursor. This uses the repelling force of magnets to push against the keyboard which, in turn, allows the computer to know where the magnet is located.

First Place -- Most Useful went to Heelblazers. This keyboard was meant to be used by typing with your feet. While it may take getting used to this implementation could work wonders for people who are otherwise unable to use their hands to type; a true typing innovation for those with handicaps.

There are other winners as well all listed on this web page: www.acm.org/sicwinners. There are links to the winners’ websites as well as videos of the inventions.