FingerWorks
Encyclopedia
FingerWorks was a gesture recognition
company based in the United States
, known mainly for its TouchStream multi-touch
keyboard. Founded by John Elias and Wayne Westerman of the University of Delaware
in 1998, it produced a line of multi-touch
products including the iGesture Pad and the TouchStream keyboard, which were particularly helpful for people suffering from RSI
and other medical conditions. The keyboards were immediately discontinued when the company's assets were acquired by Apple Inc. in early 2005.
The company's products remained a high-end niche, and something of a curiosity, despite good press and industry awards. In early 2005, FingerWorks went through a rocky period, and stopped shipping new products or responding actively to support requests. While they updated their support forums between April and June with new information, outside reports indicated that they had been acquired by a major technology company. This company turned out to be Apple, which acquired the company's patents and other intellectual property along with Elias and Westerman.
In June 2005, FingerWorks officially announced they were no longer in business. The founders continued to file and process patents for their work through late 2007. And as of August 2008 they still file patents for Apple, Inc.
Gesture recognition
Gesture recognition is a topic in computer science and language technology with the goal of interpreting human gestures via mathematical algorithms. Gestures can originate from any bodily motion or state but commonly originate from the face or hand. Current focuses in the field include emotion...
company based in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, known mainly for its TouchStream multi-touch
Multi-touch
In computing, multi-touch refers to a touch sensing surface's ability to recognize the presence of two or more points of contact with the surface...
keyboard. Founded by John Elias and Wayne Westerman of the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
in 1998, it produced a line of multi-touch
Multi-touch
In computing, multi-touch refers to a touch sensing surface's ability to recognize the presence of two or more points of contact with the surface...
products including the iGesture Pad and the TouchStream keyboard, which were particularly helpful for people suffering from RSI
Repetitive strain injury
Repetitive strain injury is an injury of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems that may be caused by...
and other medical conditions. The keyboards were immediately discontinued when the company's assets were acquired by Apple Inc. in early 2005.
History
Westerman was working on a dissertation on chord-based manipulation with a multi-touch surface while a doctoral student at the University of Delaware. He and Elias, a professor in his department, started FingerWorks while he was finishing his dissertation, which formed the basis for some of the company's products. Westerman developed repetitive stress problems while finishing his dissertation, which inspired active focus on low-impact inputs.The company's products remained a high-end niche, and something of a curiosity, despite good press and industry awards. In early 2005, FingerWorks went through a rocky period, and stopped shipping new products or responding actively to support requests. While they updated their support forums between April and June with new information, outside reports indicated that they had been acquired by a major technology company. This company turned out to be Apple, which acquired the company's patents and other intellectual property along with Elias and Westerman.
In June 2005, FingerWorks officially announced they were no longer in business. The founders continued to file and process patents for their work through late 2007. And as of August 2008 they still file patents for Apple, Inc.
Products
- TouchStream LP – a full-sized, folding split keyboard, with a flat membrane and zero-force keys. The entire keyboard surface has multitouch support that converts finger movements of different combinations of fingers into mouse and macro events. It comes with chording modes for graphics, Emacs, and gaming.
- Surface inclination: 0-10 degrees; Adjustable split angle & separation
- Active area: 5" by 13". Weight: 13 oz.
- TouchStream Mini – a one-hand keyboard + mouse keypad, with 15mm keys (75% normal size). Active area: 5" by 6.5"
- MacNTouch – a double-width multitouch surface originally made to physically replace the keyboard in compatible Apple laptops. Also appeared in an enclosure to be used as a separate device, under the name Digitouch.
- iGesture Pad – a one-hand gesture pad for mousing and gestures. Active area: 6.25" by 5"
- iGesture NumPad – like the iGesture Pad but with numeric keypad, PgUp/Dn etc., and arrow keys superimposed.
- iGesture Retro – a one-hand gesture pad embedded into a full-size Microsoft keyboard
External links
- The Fingerfans site with forums where FingerWorks keyboard owners offer community support for these devices.