IV. Answer the following questions.
Why is Windows important for motor-impaired users?
Where was the PHANToM interface developed?
Who is the PHANToM used by?
What do you know about «sticky keys»?
What devices do the visually-impaired people use?
What modern features does Tobii C12 have?
Who can use Wakamaru?
What does the term «self-voicing program» mean?
V. Decide whether the following statements are true or false. It they are false, correct them.
1. The user can feel three-dimensional objects programmed into the computer.
2. The FANToM is used as a simulation platform for surgery tasks.
3. Computers have opened many opportunities for the disabled.
4. A screen magnifier is a type of haptic technology.
5. Tobii C12 does not provide a connection to the Internet.
VI. Form Participle I and Participle II of the following verbs (Appendix B).
to learn, to act, to perform, to close, to occur, to drive, to stop, to give, to carry, to feel, to offer, to hear, to press, to find, to write, to grasp, to use, to speak, to type.
VII. Put as many questions to each sentence as possible.
1. The user can also have an external adaptive switch to select menu choices.
2. It is used as a simulation platform for complex surgery tasks.
3. Computers have opened many opportunities for the disabled.
4. People with physical or cognitive impairment use one or more switches to access computers.
5. Screen readers are used by people with little or no functional vision.
VIII. Match each term with its definition.
1. command
2. menu
3. icon
4. graphics package
5. three-dimensional
6. program
7. scale
8. utility
9. scan
10. laptop
11. synthesizer
12. keyboard
a) 3-D drawings have depth
b) to make an object larger/smaller in any direction
c) to copy text or graphics using a scanner
d) a small type of portable computer
e) an order which the computer can obey
f) a device that uses electronic circuits to generate sounds
g) a list of options displayed on a computer screen
h) software that allows the user to create and run graphics programs
i) a set of instructions for solving a specific problem by computer
j) an input device with typewriter keys for letters, numbers, etc.
k) a small program designed to improve the performance of the system
l) a small picture representing an object, process or function
IX. What do the following abbreviations stand for?
3D, TDD, CAD, LCD, UK, TTY, VR.
UNIT 4. COMPUTER MOUSE
I. Practise reading the following words.
navigate, essential, technologies, designed, wooden, circuit, mechanical, monitoring, direction, research, features, quite, approximately, infrared, oxide, microcamera, captured, processor, binary, images, consume, manufacturing, innovative, reliable, special, commercial, initially, cordless, receiver, launched, concept, equipped, wheel, disadvantage, adopted, light, laser, accurate, extremely, ultrasound
II. Before reading the text try to answer these questions.
1. What input devices are the most popular? Why?
2. What are the functions of the mouse buttons?
3. What are the advantages of a computer mouse over a keyboard?
III. Read and translate the following text into Ukrainian.
Computer mouse
A computer mouse is a useful device that allows a person to navigate through software easily. We use it every day whether at work at home and even on the go. Today, a mouse is an essential input device for computers but it wasn't so long ago that computers had neither mouse nor graphical user interface. The history of the computer mouse starts at the Stanford Research Institute (the US), where many technologies and solutions that are the base of today’s products have been invented. The first computer mouse was designed by Douglas Engelbart in 1963. It consisted of a wooden box, circuit board and two metal wheels that came into contact with the surface it was being used on. Bill English first used the term "mouse" in his paper published in 1965, and later he took forward the development of that mechanical device. In 1972 Bill English developed the design known today as the "Ball Mouse". The ball replaced the wheels and was capable of monitoring movements in any directions. At that time Bill English was working for Xerox Parc (Palo Alto Research Centre) the research and development centre. While working for Xerox Bill English and Jack Hawley refined the design of Engelbart's mouse and added some new features, the most important being the replacement of the two gear-system with a small metal ball. Despite the fact that English's design was quite advanced, it took Xerox approximately 9 years to refine it. Optical devices were invented by Steve Kirsch and an infrared LED along with infrared sensors were used to create a computer mouse. An optical mouse was developed in 1980 and has completely replaced the ball mouse now. Instead of a tracking ball, the optical mouse uses a small LED and a tiny metal-oxide semiconductor sensor – a sort of a microcamera. The captured images are passed on to a digital signal processor (DSP) which compares the images and detects changing patterns of movement. Then an on-board IC turns the information into binary digits to be sent to the computer. The latest laser mouse which uses an infrared laser diode instead of LED works in the same way but increases the performance of an optical mouse and consumes less power, too. In 1981 Xerox started manufacturing a commercial mouse for its 8010 Information System. At that time Steve Jobs was also looking for an innovative input device for his forthcoming Apple systems. In 1983, Microsoft shipped its first IBM PC two-button mouse that initially required a special peripheral card for use but later it was evolved to support connection through a PC serial port. The PS/2 was the standard mouse connectivity interface for a very long time. In 1984, Apple came up with a completely re-designed peripheral, which was to accompany its Macintosh systems. Another important institution (EPFL research center) where Professor Jean-Daniel Nicoud and engineer and watchmaker Andre Guignard worked, was involved in the development of mouse technology. The first cordless mouse was introduced by Logitech in 1984, too. Unlike modern wireless mice, this one used IR technology for communicating with a base receiver. At the beginning of the 1990's, Logitech refined its cordless mouse design and offered the device called the Cordless MouseMan which arrived on the market in 1991. In 1993, Honeywell launched an alternative approach to the mouse tracking concept, namely the Opto-Mechanical mouse, which used two small discs on its bottom. The first mouse equipped with a scroll wheel was the ProAgio, developed by Mouse Systems in 1995. In 1998 Apple was one of the first companies to use USB for its mouse. Nevertheless, this mouse had one important disadvantage: its round shape made it difficult to be used for a long period of time. After that, a lot of companies adopted the USB interface and, nowadays, there are very few mice that use PS/2 connector (see figure 4).
Figure 4. Mouse connectors
The first models of laser mice were developed by Sun Microsystems in 1998. Laser technology provides improved tracking resolutions by replacing the LED light with a laser engine. However, despite providing more accurate tracking than optical mice, laser-based peripherals are also a bit more expensive, and for this reason, they're mostly targeting the gaming segment, where speed and accuracy are extremely important. In 2008, Microsoft's came up with another innovation in computer peripherals and tracking technology, namely BlueTrack.
3D computer mouse uses ultrasound technology to provide three degrees of freedom. The best known example of this mouse, probably, is Logitech's SpaceMouse. A recent consumer 3D pointing device is the Wii Remote. While primarily a motion-sensing device, i.e., it can determine its orientation and direction of movement, Wii Remote can also detect its spatial position by comparing the distance and position of the lights from the IR emitter using its integrated IR camera. The obvious drawback to this approach is that it can only produce spatial coordinates while its camera can see the sensor bar. On November 2010, a German company Axsotic introduced a new concept of 3D mouse called 3D Spheric Mouse. This new concept of a true 6 DOF input-device uses a ball to rotate in 3 aches without any limitations.