New-Age Keyboard: Trace, Don't Write
From: CNet - 07/11/2005
By: Michael Kanellos

IBM Almaden Research Center scientist Shumin Zhai promoted the experimental
Shorthand-Aided Rapid Keyboarding (Shark) system at the New Paradigms for
Using Computers conference on July 11th. Shark is a pen-based shorthand
technique whereby users enter words into mobile devices by tracing them
letter by letter on a virtual keyboard. "It uses geometric patterns to
represent words," Zhai explained. Shark operates on the principle that users
start to commit common words and word elements to memory fairly quickly,
which lowers their reliance on visual guidance; the user's final pattern is
evaluated, interpreted as a word in the database, and converted into
on-screen text by the computer. IBM says Shark circumvents many of the
difficulties associated with speech and handwriting recognition, and the
keyboard system aligns well with natural English language patterns. Complex
scribbles do not overstress the system, since the average word is 4.7 letters
long. Shark interoperates with numerous keyboard types, although QWERTY and
alphabetically arranged keyboards are not well-suited to the system. IBM is
experimenting with Shark using a tweaked version of its Atomik keyboard,
which maximizes letter associations through its unique key arrangement. 

Read the entire article at:
http://news.com.com/New-age+keyboard+Trace%2C+dont+write/2100-1041_3-5783580.html

Links:
Shumin Zhai
http://www.almaden.ibm.com/u/zhai/

Text input for future computing devices
http://www.almaden.ibm.com/u/zhai/SHARK.htm

ATOMIK
http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/atomik

Shorthand-Aided Rapid Keyboarding
http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/sharktext

In Search of Efficient Text Writing Methods for Off-Desktop Computing:
An Overview of ATOMIK and SHARK
http://www.baychi.org/calendar/20040608a/