YAY Input Innovation

There few things in technology that really get me hopping excited any more but every now and then something pops into the tech stream that makes me happy. Today is a happy moment for me.

Input devices and Human Computer Interface design though not something that is part of my core job or direct areas of research has always been one of those items that I have had a lot of interest in. I blame a particularly engaging professor I had in college that did research in this area that helped open my eyes to how silly things are today.

For example, we still use the QWERTY keyboard layout, a model that was built to slow down typing... yes really. On typewriters it was built so that the hammers would hang up less often because commonly used letters were farther apart and people would be slower thus causing less hits. If you are old enough or lucky enough to have had the experience of a typewriter that hung you will understand why this was a good idea at the time. Now critical mass is there and the world is unlikely to change. Just try and tell a Gen-Xer that can type 100+ words per minute on a QWERTY that you are going to change the layout. Of course now Gen-Y is used to a phone and small device without the need for a keyboard at all.

Apple has filed for a patent on a new generation of input device that is focused on touch, write and multi-touch. For more info check out the Apple Insider post for great detail from the patents themselves. One of my favorite features/ideas from the iPhone has always been the multi-touch. In fact part of the reason I expect to be getting an Apple laptop now is that they are adding that ability to those as well.

While we still have not achieved a DNI (Direct Neural Interface) jack yet so all we have to do is think it's only a matter of time. By the way... that really is happening. Controlling your computer with the power of thought is currently focused on assistance for the physically disabled. You don't need to be a dreamer though to realize that the downstream implications are simply fascinating.