Chording for iGesture Numpad

From Wear-Hard Mailing list Archive (WH) Maintained by R. Paul McCarty

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I've been looking into chording keyboards and wearable computing input
devices for a while now and have not had much luck in finding one
completely suitable for wearable computing.
>From my research there aren't many to choose from in the consumer market
and most have one annoyance or another, i.e. the high price tag of the
<http://www.handykey.com/site/twiddler2.html> Twiddler 2, the
<http://www.frogpad.com/> FrogPad only being a desk based keyboard and
has no mousing ability, the fact that the
<http://www.bellaire.demon.co.uk/newcykey.htm> CyKey only outputs half
duplex IRDA so it has to be in line of sight of the receiver which is
problematic for a wearable.
Other than these three, all the other chording keyboards seem to be
either homebrew systems like the  <http://chordite.com/> Chordite, or
are products that a company is trying to get funding to begin production
and marketing for, i.e. the
<http://tim.griffins.ca/gallery/keyboard/DataEgg.html> DataEgg,
<http://www.lightglove.com/> Lightglove and
<http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/d/s/dsg3/emergingtechnologies/sensebo
ard.htm> Senseboard.

We don't have much to choose from.  However, recently I have been
looking at the  <http://www.fingerworks.com/numeric-keypad.html>
Fingerworks iGesture Numpad.  The iGesture Pads are larger than standard
trackpads with an active area of 6.25" X 5".  I know a lot of people
prefer a mouse over a trackpad but I have always liked trackpad systems
(and they are much better than a nipple or cursor system like the mouse
on a Xybernaut MAIV).  The iGesture Pads are not just trackpads but have
very customizable gesture recognition built in making them a powerful
control device.  The iGesture Numpad goes a stage further and adds
'Surface Keys' to the trackpad in the layout of a numeric keypad.  These
are also customizable and each surface key can output a user defined
command or key combination.  Fingerworks also makes the
<http://www.fingerworks.com/lp_product.html> TouchStream which uses two
trackpad panels with surface keys laid out like a full QUERTY keyboard
but this is too big for wearable use and needs both hands to use.
I've been wondering if there's a way to push the 'Surface Key' system on
an iGesture Numpad even further and have the ability to chord.  At the
moment each surface key will only do one command or set of commands when
it is touched.  If the surface keys could output different sets of
commands when they are touched in different combinations (i.e. key 1
outputs "a", key 2 outputs "b", when both keys 1 and 2 are touched
together they output "c") then you could have a fully customizable
chording keyboard on the surface of a touchpad.  This would make the
iGesture Numpad an extremely powerful data input and manipulation device
- trackpad, gesture recognition and full chording keyboard all in one
flat panel not much larger than your hand!
I emailed Fingerworks a few weeks ago as to whether this would be
feasible but I have not yet had any reply.
I don't know much about programming for hardware devices but could this
be done with software, perhaps with a bit of creative programming or
even a commercial macro program; or could Wear-Hard as a group ask
Fingerworks whether they could add a chording facility into their next
firmware update of the iGesture Numpad?

Thanks for any help on this 

Ben

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<body lang=3DEN-GB link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple =
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<div class=3DSection1>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:36.0pt'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
lang=3DEN-US =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>I=
217;ve
been looking into chording keyboards and wearable computing input =
devices for a
while now and have not had much luck in finding one completely suitable =
for
wearable computing.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

From my research there aren’t many to =
choose
from in the consumer market and most have one annoyance or another, i.e. =
the
high price tag of the <a =
href=3D"http://www.handykey.com/site/twiddler2.html">Twiddler 2</a>, the <a =
href=3D"http://www.frogpad.com/">FrogPad</a> only being a desk based keyboard and =
has no mousing ability, the fact that the <a
href=3D"http://www.bellaire.demon.co.uk/newcykey.htm">CyKey</a>
only outputs half duplex IRDA so it has to be in line of sight of the =
receiver
which is problematic for a wearable.<o:p></o:p>

Othe=
r
than these three, all the other chording keyboards seem to be either =
homebrew
systems like the <a href=3D"http://chordite.com/">Chordite</a>,
or are products that a company is trying to get funding to begin =
production and
marketing for, i.e. the <a
href=3D"http://tim.griffins.ca/gallery/keyboard/DataEgg.html">DataEgg</a>,
<a href=3D"http://www.lightglove.com/">Lightglove</a>
and <a
href=3D"http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/d/s/dsg3/emergingtechnologies/s=
enseboard.htm">Senseboard</a>.<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:36.0pt'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
lang=3DEN-US =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'><o:p=
> </o:p></span></font></p>

We
don’t have much to choose from. 
However, recently I have been looking at the <a
href=3D"http://www.fingerworks.com/numeric-keypad.html">Fingerworks
iGesture Numpad</a>.  The iGesture
Pads are larger than standard trackpads with =
an
active area of 6.25” X 5”.  I know a lot of people prefer a =
mouse
over a trackpad but I have always liked =
trackpad systems (and they are much better than a =
nipple or
cursor system like the mouse on a Xybernaut =
MAIV).  The iGesture
Pads are not just trackpads but have very
customizable gesture recognition built in making them a powerful control =
device.  The iGesture Numpad goes a stage further and adds
‘Surface Keys’ to the trackpad =
in the
layout of a numeric keypad.  These
are also customizable and each surface key can output a user defined =
command or
key combination.  Fingerworks also makes the <a
href=3D"http://www.fingerworks.com/lp_product.html">TouchStream</a>
which uses two trackpad panels with surface =
keys laid
out like a full QUERTY keyboard but this is too big for wearable use and =
needs
both hands to use.<o:p></o:p>

I=
217;ve
been wondering if there’s a way to push the ‘Surface =
Key’
system on an iGesture Numpad
even further and have the ability to chord.  At the moment each surface key =
will only
do one command or set of commands when it is touched.  If the surface keys could output
different sets of commands when they are touched in different =
combinations (i.e.
key 1 outputs “a”, key 2 outputs “b”, when both =
keys 1
and 2 are touched together they output “c”) then you could =
have a
fully customizable chording keyboard on the surface of a touchpad.  This would make the iGesture
Numpad an extremely powerful data input and
manipulation device - trackpad, gesture =
recognition
and full chording keyboard all in one flat panel not much larger than =
your hand!<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:36.0pt'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
lang=3DEN-US =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>I
emailed <span class=3DSpellE>Fingerworks</span> a few weeks ago as to =
whether
this would be feasible but I have not yet had any =
reply.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:36.0pt'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
lang=3DEN-US =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>I
don’t know much about programming for hardware devices but could =
this be
done with software, perhaps with a bit of creative programming or even a =
commercial
macro program; or could Wear-Hard as a group ask <span =
class=3DSpellE>Fingerworks</span>
whether they could add a chording facility into their next firmware =
update of
the <span class=3DSpellE>iGesture</span> <span =
class=3DSpellE>Numpad</span>?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:36.0pt'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
lang=3DEN-US =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'><o:p=
> </o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:36.0pt'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
lang=3DEN-US =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Than=
ks
for any help on this <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:36.0pt'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
lang=3DEN-US =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'><o:p=
> </o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'margin-left:36.0pt;text-indent:36.0pt'><font size=3D2
face=3DArial><span lang=3DEN-US =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Ben<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>

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