The Devices for the Manual  Input of Data

Keyboard is the primary input component for a PC. Each key is simply a switch, which when pressed, results in a digital code being sent to the computer. Classical keyboard includes alphanumeric , punctuation and function keys. Now design and functional variety of the keyboards includes more then 50,000 types of keyboards on the market. For more information  see  page:  Keyboards

Pointing devices: Now many vendors offer a range of pointing devices accommodating  virtually any user preference, whether you are in the market for an ergonomic mouse, touchpad, trackball or the latest in wireless technology. A pointing devices allow to control the pointer on the monitor screen. For more information about Pointing devices such as mice, trackballs, touchpads, light pens see  page: What are pointing devices

Input controllers usually are used for playing computer games. For more information about  input controllers see  page: Computer Gaming devices

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Input Devices utilizing Feet (Feet's mice) can include  virtual keyboards and a different design for foot mice

"NoHands" Mouse (Hunter Digital) utilizes two foot pedals; one to move the cursor and one to click, drag and drop objects on  computer desktop without taking the user hands off the keyboard. This  input device provides easy, effortless motions and movements through the simple movement of  feet. If  you  have the problem of trying to eat something and read a website, this is for you.

The X-Key Foot Pedals  (Keyboard Alternatives & Vision Solutions, Inc) are  alternative to using a mouse. The device has  2 programmable pedals. Available with PS/2 or USB connectors.

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Input Systems Using  Voice

Input systems using  voice,  can include   microphone and special Speech recognition software downloaded in a computer. Developed last years, Speech recognition technology allows individuals to operate computer functions and enter computer data by voice. The speech recognition software is "trained" to recognize a user's commands, i.e., "open," "enter," and "close." The technology has several components: noise-canceling input, a speech recognition engine, vocabularies, application interfaces, and rudimentary natural-language processing. The most popular speech recognition systems are keyboard applications, which allow users to speak directly to their computers, complementing or replacing the keyboard.

  IBM's ViaVoice is a large vocabulary continuous speech dictation software that lets the user create customized commands to insert frequently used sentences, paragraphs, addresses, and documents. ViaVoice also offers a medical and legal vocabulary and three basic versions: Pro USB, Advanced, Standard, Personal Editions.

Package of ScanSoft, Inc. Recognition software ( Dragon NaturallySpeaking Prefered, Standard,  Essentials)   enable users to create and edit documents, reports, spreadsheets, and e-mail-all by voice. Dragon NaturallySpeaking works with virtually all Windows-based applications. Legal, medical, and public safety packages as well as home and office software are available.

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  Head-controlled Pointing Systems

HeadMouse™ (Origin Instruments) is a head operated  computer mouse for people who cannot use their hands.   This is a device that translates the movements of a user's head into  movements of the computer mouse pointer. The HeadMouse is a wireless optical sensor which tracks a tiny and disposable target that is placed on the user's forehead or glasses. Because this capability is combined with the  on-screen keyboard SofType, the HeadMouse  completely replace the functions of a conventional keyboard. SofType keyboards provide an image of the keys on the computer display, with key selection made by positioning the mouse pointer over a key.

     HeadMaster Plus™  (Prentke Romich  Company) is a head pointing system that takes the place of the mouse. Just move your head and the cursor moves on the screen. Puff on the tube to make selections. Mouse clicks can also be made by activating an external switch (sold separately) or by dwelling with a dwell software program (sold separately). It is the only head pointing system that tracks both lateral and rotational movement. Also available for HeadMaster, is an optional Remote Adapter providing for wireless infrared use and an optional Laptop Adapter.

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      Image Input Systems

Scanner  is used to digitize images of pages or objects. A light moves slowly over the surface of the picture or object to be scanned. The colors of the reflected light are detected and digitized to build up a digital image. The digital data can then be saved by a computer as an image file. They can be used with Optical Character Recognition  software to convert images of text into actual text data which can be edited by a word processor. For more information see  page: How to choose a scanner

Digital Camera - light received through the lens is converted to digital signals by sensors, rather than stored by chemical change on a film as in a normal camera. The resulting "picture" can then be stored on a computer and used just like any clipart files.

Video Digitiser - enables video signals from a standard video camera or cassette recorder to be read into a computer. The video can then be stored as a file, displayed on screen and edited. Still images can be captured and printed or used as clipart. The Digital technology delivers a richer and more accurate picture quality than the analog format.

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Audio Input Systems

Audio input system is based on the digital sound  card  and MIDI. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is the computer language that is used to communicate between computers and digital musical instruments.  The computer can acquire data not only via microphone but  through a MIDI cable, and  record the music from the  multiple instruments such as MIDI Guitars, MIDI Basses,  MIDI Drums, MIDI Samplers, MIDI Saxophones, MIDI Violins and MIDI Trumpet, and play them back at the same time.

Document Readers

Document readers are input devices that are used commercially – for example, by banks, postal services, and supermarkets. They are  able to read and capture large volumes of data very rapidly. Such devices include document readers for magnetic-ink character recognition (MICR), optical character recognition (OCR),  optical mark recognition (OMR). On the market you can find also  bar-code scanners, magnetic-strip readers; and so on.

  OCR Readers: Optical Character Recognition technology uses an ordinary scanner to take a photographic image of printed or even hand-written text. Special software then looks at the image, recognizes each character and converts it into a text file. This can then be edited using a word processor. It is also used to automatically recognize post codes on letters at sorting offices. You can find also on the market the OCR travel document readers for passports, visas and personal ID documents, used generally anywhere where passengers must be identified; their personal data entered into a computer, their travel documents verified with specific data bases.

OMR Scanners: Optical Mark Reading (OMR) is a method of entering data into a computer system. OMR scanners  "read" pencil or pen marks, made in pre-defined positions on paper forms as responses to questions or tick list prompts. The OMR data entry system converts the information about presence or absence of marks into a computer data file. OMR  scanners can be used when either data is to be collected simultaneously from a large number of sources, or  a large volume of data is to be collected and processed in a short period of time.

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MICR readers: Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) technology uses a method of recognition for text (signs or letters) written by ink containing magnetic particles. This method is used by banks to  read and recognize  checks, credit and debit cards, and driver's licenses. This provides a high level of security because any attempt to alter the magnetic ink printout with normal ink will be ignored.

  Bar code readers (scanners): Bar code is made up vertical lines (bars) and spaces. Bar code  readers are most often used  to take inventory  in supermarkets and retail stores.  They are also used to take inventory in  to check out books from a library; to track manufacturing and shipping movement;  to identify hospital patients;  to tabulate the results of direct mail marketing returns and so on. A typical Bar Code Reader kit consists of Scanner, Decoder, and Cable that interfaces the Decoder to the computer. The Scanner scans the Bar Code symbol and sends it to the decoder. The decoder translates the bars and spaces into corresponding electrical output and transmits that data to the computer in a traditional data format. A bar code scanner can either have the Decoder built into it, or be "undecoded". Undecoded bar code scanner requires a separate box called an interface or keyboard wedge. Currently, the four different types of bar code readers available are the pen type readers (bar code wands), laser bar code scanners, CCD (Charge Couple Devices) barcode readers and camera based barcode readers.

The Mag Stripe reader  is designed to work like a bar code slot reader to scan Magnetic Stripe Cards such as Visa/Master Card/American Express and other credit cards. Magnetic stripes are thin strips of magnetic tape which are usually found on the back of plastic credit and debit cards. When the card is inserted into a reader  (in an Automatic Teller Machine  for example),  the tapes slide past a playback head similar to that used in a tape recorder. This reads the data from the stripe and passes it to a computer.

FingerPrint Readers.  Now you can say goodbye to password hassles, because you can log on to your computer  with your fingerprint. The Microsoft® Fingerprint Reader lets you replace all those usernames and passwords with  the tip of your finger. The Fingerprint Reader is integrated into some of Microsoft’s latest keyboard and mouse products, and also sold separately.

Input Devices in Automatic Systems

Input devices in automatic systems include  sensors , data adapters or loggers, and special software for managing received data. Sensor - a device that responds to a physical stimulus (as heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and transmits a resulting impulse (as for measurement or operating a control) to a system.  Data adapter, data logger - the  remote input devices, which either acquit data from sensors by special program, and transfer to computer on the online systems, or stores data received from sensors that can then be input into a computer at another time or place in the offline systems.