AirType
airtype.io
airtype.io
The question is whether it works well in real use, and no landing page can show that. I can likewise put up an email subscription page for a $20k flying car.
Making this product work 50% of the time takes some serious work, but making it work the 99.5% of the time which would make it qualify as a keyboard replacement is something else entirely.
I wouldn't waste potential customers time with a landing page like that, and their video is downright insulting. Spend your time and resources making something that works instead.
Anyway, with all the buzz around hardware startups, I would expect more landing pages like this to crop up. People simply don't realize how difficult making good tangibles is, but they will find out soon enough.
People who type a lot are likely to be working with some level of jargon (variable names for programmers, macros and cell codes for data analysts, etc.) rather than the pure prose autocorrect is designed for.
AFAIK, there aren't any good demos of autocorrecting keyboards for technical domains. That said, TextMate's autocomplete works pretty well most of the time. If you could seed the autospell dictionary with a combination of language-specific keywords and the variables that have already been defined in your project (ala TextMate), that could be pretty powerful for technical people trying to be productive with alternate input methods.
As an aside, “Using Python to code by voice”[0] is quite an inspiring presentation on the topic.
Also, I am not sure how this thing makes anything better: you still have to do hand movements correctly and most people will need some kind of surface to orient their hands on. Same problem, without a keyboard.
We do? I don't think I'd replace my keyboard with this even if it worked flawlessly. I like to have tactile feedback when I type.
I'm not sure if it goes past the proposal stage however, the folks who were researching those sorts of issues were at UC Berkeley in the late 80's so that would be a good place for a literature search.
If this can be built and be as reliable as a keyboard (and I make mistakes/miss keys on my keyboard too) it could be really really useful. At some point, something like this and something like Glass will be a 'terminal' to the internet. The Myo folks have some interesting ideas in this space too, not clear if they get the fidelity they need through the upper arm though.
Was that conversation and/or those sketches ever published? I didn't find anything in a brief Google Scholar search. They'd be interesting to see.
My first exposure to EMG was in a very low cost eye tracker.
Seriously, wouldn't that be the same amount of feedback as a touchscreen keyboard? Flat, and you get the wrong letter when you miss?
> Even an on-screen keyboard provides such feedback. Typing in the air doesn't.
Probably there.
So I don't think the problem solves itself, it just compounds.
Much like our loss of movement ability, it seems to become less relevant, until you notice that we've lost an essential part of what makes us human.
Its about time computers started fitting humans and not the other way round.
This is a really interesting argument and has got me thinking. I have to say that I agree with your sentiment. The problem is that I think we've entered into a kind of feedback loop; a compounding problem as you described it.
Technology and intelligence have allowed us to rapidly accelerate our fitness while simultaneously and subtly forcing us to become increasingly dependent upon them for continued advancement. In short, tech informs the ways in which we progress and, in the interest of further progress, our new (less human?) norms inform the progression of tech.
I think there are examples of this all over the place: infants expressing confusion at a screen that is not touch sensitive, memes and texting idioms seeping into spoken conversation, or people asking their device to call someone and intentionally mispronouncing the name the same way the device does so that it "understands."
But I also disagree that tech can start fitting humans in the sense you describe, because I simply don't think that's possible anymore.
There's a post on the front page right now discussing self-experimentation with black widow bites, a comment from which [0] strikes me as relevant to the argument I'm about to make. To quote, "[humans]...are pretty weak creatures all things considered." A lot of cutting edge tech today is focused on AR and mobility. That's because, as the quoted comment notes, humans are weak; a weakness which also extends to our senses. Touch seems so fundamentally human, yet a computerized sensor can tell us so much more than a fingertip about a surface. It sounds terrible when I write it, but there it is: information is powerful (addicting?).
It's impossible for us to conceive the kinds of situations humanity will face in the future, but after a certain point the limitations of the human body will have to be addressed. Right now that means computers.
So, I suppose what I'm saying is that, imho, computers actually are fitting "humans," it's just that they are fitting what we have, will and must continue to become rather than what we once were. And that's probably a good bad thing (rather than bad bad) in the long run.
And there is a feedback when you touch a glass surface, it's just it doesn't give you a non-visual clue that you have pressed a letter and that you have grown accustomed to.
I don't think that's a dealbreaker for the generation that is growing with tablets. I certainly don't see my teeneage cousins or nephews/nieces worried at all about using keyboards. If they have them around they might use them but they type fast on the screens as well. Most of them no longer have a laptop or desktop anyway. I've seen them writing whole essays on the phone while lying on the bed.
Talking about lost feedback, think about what a huge step back was for our grandfathers generation to abandon handwriting and switch to pressing keys on a typewriter. I'm pretty sure we could have argue back then about how little feedback you get from a key vs. the flow of the hand and the friction of the paper when you write. And somehow we adjusted so well that most of us are probably incapable of writing a handwritten letter nowadays. We are not "less human" because of this.
We will survive.
And note I'm not trying to say that this is the new status quo and we should all accept it and move along. I'm sure we will see a lot of different approaches to solve the issue in the future. What I'm saying is that the pool of users these solutions speak to is diminishing. We see this ideas and think that they'll appeal to everybody who uses a tablet. Most likely they'll be only used by a niche market. Nothing wrong with that but definitely something to take into account when trying to launch a company around them.
Trouch-screen devices are good for content consumption but absolutely unfit compared to computer for content creation.
People are creating high quality keyboards[1] because there is an actual market :-)
I wouldn't be surprised if the same algorithms they developed can be adapted to myoelectric sensors (if they haven't done so already).
It's still just prototypes, but sounds like someone is working on just what you ask about.
The keyboard is a broken interface, but this isn't an improvement.
Suppose I am the user identified in the video. I have a tablet—maybe not a Microsoft Surface, but a tablet nonetheless—and I currently use a slimline keyboard to type.
You hand me these. First thoughts: what are they? What do I do with them? Great products are those that someone can be presented with for the first time, and in a matter of seconds figure out what it does, how to use it, etc. Think kids reacting to technology [1]
So for argument's sake I read the manual, or you give me a walkthrough. Great, how do I start using them? Oh, they have to 'learn' my writing style? Is my first impression going to be a string of largely inaccurate input?
How am I going to 'teach' this system? Through some proprietary software, which I may have problems downloading, and which may not even work on my device? How are people going to demonstrate these in stores; how am I going to proselytize to my coworkers? "Just try these out; wait, no. Yeah, don't worry about that, they have to learn your typing style. Yep, they'll do that for a while... no, but they're really great. Honestly... honestly."
This is already sounding like a lot of effort, but you've assured me there's gold at the end of this rainbow. Surely the cost-benefit analysis will check out.
So I've got them working. Are they accurate enough? Let's assume they are. This isn't too bad actually. I'm going to hop on Twitter and tell people all about this. Hashtag AirTypeRocks! Hashtag... hashtag... where's my hash key again? I can't seem to find it on this wooden bench.
Okay, that's a downstream problem. For now, I'm going to pack these up and head home. But where do I put them? They're an awkward shape. They look pretty easy to break.
What happens when I lose one of them? Is the entire system rendered useless? They look expensive to replace.
Are these yet more devices I'm going to have to charge? I'm already fed up of charging my laptop, phone, tablet, etc.
Are they going to protect the screen of my tablet device in transit? Looks like the opposite. I think I'll hang on to the keyboard-cum-screen protector for now...
It targets people who can blind touch, which may not be a growing population in 10 or 20 years. Computer will be more ubiquitous than now, but there will be a whole generation that would be raised on touch devices first and be very proficient with on screen keyboards or benefit from direct writing recognition (these two are both more discoverable than this technology), or more minorly speach recognition.
For a generation not trained on physical keyboards first, I'm not sure this kind of alternative input method will be better or faster that what they were already using as primary input device, and they'll want something wildly better if they have to switch to something else. Like a full size physical keyboard, if they're going to type for a long extent of time.
edit: spelling
http://www.keyglove.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/senseboar...
The "Team" section lists only 2 actual doers and multiple product people. Never a good sign in a startup.
Seriously though, I don't see this catching on. Keyboard enthusiasts obsess over the tactical feel of their mechanical keyboards for a reason.
The best part about a mechanical keyboard is that you can rest your hand on the keys. I've actually never tried a MS Surface touch cover, but something like that without actual segmented keys might be best. Sort of like a touch cover and Fleksy hybrid.
What would be neat is if you could bring up the tablet keyboard through a gesture, like clapping your palms together, select the unfamiliar symbol, gesture to remove the keyboard then continue.
Although I like the idea of something like this, I can't imagine myself using it for a long period of time.
Not saying AirType is bad...yet. But I didn't see it working either.
http://worrydream.com/ABriefRantOnTheFutureOfInteractionDesi...
TL;DR: Give me some tangibility in my interfaces! (You really should read that rant though)
There is so much and so deep harm in taking away the tactile feedback.
Edit: Might be different if it wasn't so hard, big (across my whole hand), and plasticy. Gloves and rings don't seem to cause much trouble during day to day activities.
What proportion of keyboard users are touch typists? I'm not.
Seems to me like it is a more user friendly approach no physical feedback and no visual sounds like AirType is a power user tool. And my Das keyboard lover friends who have blank layout would hate the lack of physical feedback.
The main issue I had with it was that you had to 'hunt and peck' in order for it to register. Merely sliding your fingers around like on a standard keyboard would just register errant keystrokes.
Also, resting your palms had the same keyboard-mashing effect. It was cool to show off to others, but totally impractical for real use.
But there is absolutely a huge demand out there for this. Not to mention that other applications for it may appear (other than just replacing traditional QWERTY keyboards).
But in the end the question is the same: how good it is?
Anyone got a video showing it working (other than just the concept)?
Or this is just a "nice to have" accessory for tablets?
My point is this isn't really something the masses will adopt, and is instead a very luxury item for wealthy nerds (myself included). Totally fine if that's the case, I just want to understand the target market.
Also it has the same drawback as tablet keyboards, i.e. no positive tactile feedback when pressing a key.
But let's see, maybe this does replace keyboards altogether.
Also, while tablets are an obvious starting position, perhaps consoles would be another good arena - having to lean over to type on that wireless keyboard in order to chat or enter detailed text seems more intrusive than just typing it out using AT.
I would have to be better than typing on a keyboard.
Video was weak. Right when they show the product it cuts out.
Would be good if you were able to touch your finger to the surface and it becomes a trackpad as well.
it certainly shows the disparity between the generations and their different expectations in the business world.
I would love to see the real product.
It's unfortunate to see it in a product video unattributed (or at all — though I know his music is licensed elsewhere).
And I know I am (not) being paranoid, but imagine how excited NSAs of the world all will be! A new kind of keyboard, that has capabilities to understand and predict what the user will write? This just looks like something Facebook could also be interested into (if you think at their "I keep what you wrote and deleted before even publishing" attitude).
This kind of tool really needs to be open source and open hardware. Otherwise they better stay far away from me.
However, no-one seems to care that most voice recognition tools like Siri nowadays send and store data on servers, and nearly all those aren't OSS.
I think one of the reasons Jasper [1] was so well received was that it was offline.
Why risk it, open one more door to a security violation, so you can type in the air. No thanks.