iPhone senses you typing on table, bit of wood etc, turns vibes to text

Yeah, I remember that from a a year or two back. The basic concept of using two transducers to triangulate the location of a tap- for this kind of application - has been around even longer. But fair play to this lad for implementing something similar with only one 3 dimensional accelerometer- if the phone had second sensor I suspect the 'training' time would be reduced substantially.

On the subject of chorded typing, an after-market phone case seems to be the ideal place to implement a chorded keyboard (as long as you don't have 5" monster phone!). Fairly cheap to prototype, too, I would image. What would you need- some silicone, some micro-switches and some Arduino parts... though it would probably be cheaper to cannibalise an existing Bluetooth keyboard.

Re: Seems legit . . .

"Macbook Wheel - with predictive sentence technology!"

The Onion did it! ; )

The aard­vark admit­ted its fault.

The aard­vark admit­ted it was wrong.

The aard­vark asked for an aard­vark.

The aard­vark asked for a dag­ger.

The aard­vark asked for health.

The aard­vark asked for a ride.

The absinthe arrived by air­mail.

The abor­tion went well.

The actor asked for an aard­vark.

> virtual keyboards can actually be bad for joints... ...shock travelling up the finger

Use chewing gun to attach a jelly-bear to each finger tip. NEXT!

Re: In the current climate

He?! Pretty sure FruityCompany has a patent on that already...

Re: Interesting...

Triangulation with two or more transducers for locating keystrokes was put forward years ago... sorry, I haven't got a link, but it is much the same principal that cartographers and radio and radar engineers have used for years.

I can only imagine that this lad's solution requires the 'training' it does because because it relies on different relative X Y Z values being detected at a single point, and that these vary depending upon the surface being used. With calibration, calibration, calibration, you wouldn't even need to develop a model of how the vibration passes through the medium.

Another way of doing something similar might be to use two earbuds as transducers, if any phones allow for for stereo-in. If not, then even using the mono headset mike*-in in addition the phone's accelerometer and built-in microphones (most phones have two internal mikes, for noise cancellation) might drastically reduce the 'training time'.

Extra points awarded for using several phones, communicating with each other sonically (see Reg article yesterday!), to give more locations and accuracy.

*though presumably a bit of Blu-tak might be required to stop it moving around the desk : D

Re: very clever but

"using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut"..

Hmmm, ok if we place the walnut on a flat plane defined by the line xy and then attach the handle end of the sledgehammer to a pivot point p, such that when allowed to rotate about a pivot the face of the hammer, as defined by the line ab will impace with the walnut...

Sorry - got carried away...

Re: I'm calling bullshit on this

Hey world, let's just do something kiddie kewl like and not bother researching the implications of it's use.

This makes as much sense as car brakes that only work after you have impacted into a brick wall.

On that basis I'll raise you impact RSI and early onset arthritis.

Re: I'm calling bullshit on this

Gee, works in the lab. Someone will buy it. I think it might work if you glued your paper keyboard to a board and carried that with you.

I carry a small Apple Wireless Keyboard in my briefcase. It works a treat with iPhone. No messing about.

Re: A "designer"?

Engineer: "OK - tell me the user requiremnts and I'll see what I can come up with"

MArketing: "No - show me every doohickey you can make, and I'll pick a cool one"