The
VKey is an electronic device which emulates a keyboard and mouse. The initial design plan
was to create a system to help a disabled patient in Modena. Her limited mobility leaves
her with the use of only a single finger, a handicap that makes using a conventional
keyboard and mouse impossible.
She had a
software emulator before the project, but its compatibility was limited- it was only
designed to function with specific office software and a specific operating system
(Windows 3.11). VKey is designed to be instantly compatible with ANY program which uses a
standard 102 key keyboard and a generic serial mouse. This is because it perfectly
emulates at hardware level both mouse and keyboard without having to cooperate with the
program being used on any deeper level.
Technical Specification
- LCD Dimension 5" 1/2
- 9Pin DIN serial Trackball/Mouse Input
- Keyboard connector (power is supplied from the PC)
- 9Pin DIN serial out cable
- Weight 400g
Visual
keyboard display
Another problem with conventional emulation software is that
the virtual keyboard is usually shown on the monitor, taking up the bottom half of the
screen and limiting the usable area. DDS' solution, as you can see in the picture, is to
recreate the keyboard on a separate, Liquid Crystal Display.
The
trackball is used to highlight the required letter, and when the trackball button is
pressed, VKey generates the appropriate keyboard code, which puts the letter up on the PC
monitor. To use the mouse, you simply hold down the trackball's second button for two
seconds, and the system switches into mouse mode. To change back, you repeat the
procedure- hold the button down for two seconds and the keyboard becomes active.
Thanks
to the flash microprocessor in the equipment, the system is always upgradeable at a later
date. We already have plans to implement a row-column scan using an input switch or a
dictionary system similar to that used on modern mobile phones- to guess words in advance
of typing, so as to speed up the process.
Rossana using
VKey
With VKey, Rossana can use normal office software to perform all the usual
operations she needs.
We would like to thank Rossana for helping us to test the equipment during development,
and to thank Studio E2 for their collaboration in making this project a reality.
