Book 2 - Emerging Technology, Input Devices, Sensors

 Emerging Technologies
 Input Devices
 Sensors
Contents
Section 1:
 Impact of emerging technologies
Section 2: Input and output devices
 input devices and their uses

Impact of Emerging Technologies
Impacts of Virtual Reality on Everyday Life
Practise Questions
1
Input Devices
Input Device Definition: An input device is any piece of hardware
which is used to enter data or content into a computer system.
Input devices are usually categorised as either manual or automatic.
Examples of manual input devices are the keyboard, mouse and scanner.
Keyboard
A computer keyboard is an input device that enables the

user to enter characters (letters, numbers and symbols)
into a computer.
The keyboard consists of rows of keys with each key
representing a different character.
There are different types of keyboards available, for
example, QWERTY keyboards, ergonomic keyboards, braille keyboards.
Uses: Entering text into word processing applications like Microsoft Word,
entering number into a spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel.
Numeric Keypad
This is similar to a keyboard, but it does not have the full
set of characters.
Most often the keypad consists of the numbers 0 to 9
along with an 'Enter' and 'Cancel' key.
You will see keypads as part of the Chip and Pin readers
used in shops that let you authorise payment with a debit or credit card.
Uses: ATM—Entering personal identification numbers inan ATM to allow us
to access our cash, Withdrawing from the ATM—keying how much money you
would like to withdraw, Telephones—these use numeric keypads to allow us
to enter phone numbers, Chip and Pin devices—These have numeric keypads
to allow users to enter PIN numbers and payment amounts when
buy goods and products.
Pointing Devices
Mouse:
A mouse is a hand held pointing device that is classed as a manual input de-
vice. A mouse usually has between 1 to 3 buttons which users 'click' in order
Input Devices
Touchpad:
A touch pad is a device for pointing (controlling input positioning)
on a computer display screen. It is an alternative to the mouse.
Originally incorporated in laptop computers, touch pads are also
being made for use with desktop computers.
Uses: Same uses as a mouse
Tracker Ball:
A point and click device similar to a mouse. A palm-sized ball is nested in a
cradle and as you roll it around, the mouse pointer moves around on the
screen. Popular with CAD applications. Uses: Same functions as a mouse.
 They are more comfortable to use than mice. This means that people
with painful hand and wrist problems (like RSI) can use a trackerball.
 Some arcade gaming machines use trackerball’s to control
games character on screen
Remote Control:
Means to control something without physically touching it. For ex-
ample most televisions now work with remote control. The televi-
sion is controlled with a hand held Infra-red device. Remote con-
trol can also use radio frequencies, such as might be used
to control a hobby airplane. Uses: (In the home) Hi-Fi
systems, DVD/Blu –ray players, satellite systems, some
overhead projectors. (In industry) Cranes with heavy
loads, activating explosives in demolition and operating
robot arms in hazardous chemical plants.
Joystick/Driving Wheel:
A joystick is an input device which is mostly used for playing
computer games such as flight simulators.
It has a moveable control lever which can be tilted in various
directions to control what is happening on the screen. Uses:
They can control characters or objects in video games, can
control industrial machinery (such as cranes) and they are used in simulators
e.g, flight simulators.
Touch Screen:
A touch screen is the only device which can be classed as both an input and
an output device.
Input Devices
Scanners:
Scanners, or computer scanners are used to transfer imag-

es or text from paper into a digital format that the com-
puter can use.
Once the information has been transferred, it can then be
edited, printed, or uploaded to the Internet.
There are two main types of scanner:
1. Flat-bed scanner
2. Hand-held scanner
Graphics Tablet:
This is an input device which is often used by graphics
designers and illustrators to work with images or hand
drawn designs.
A graphics tablet has two parts. The first part is a slender slab that lies
flat on the table. The second part is a special pen. The tablet can sense how
the pen is moving around on its flat surface. By moving the pen around you
are able to draw lines and pictures. The computer must be running an appli-
cation that can deal with the graphics tablet. For example
Photoshop or CAD (Computer Aided Design) software. Uses:
Allow designers to produce digital images much more accu-
rately than if they were using a mouse.
Digital Cameras:
A digital camera is a camera that uses a memory card instead of film. A digi-
tal camera can hold many more pictures than a film camera by using a
memory card.
A digital camera can use a USB cable that hooks into a computer to take the
pictures from the camera and put them on the computer. The
pictures can then be printed out or uploaded to the Internet.
Uses: Used to capture digital images for occasions such as
weddings, birthdays, family snaps etc. Easy to transfer imag-
es to a computer for editing e.g. Photoshop to alter bright-
ness or contrast. Images can be printed easily by uploading
to a computer and then printing or connecting directly to a photo printer.
Microphone:
A microphone converts sound into an electrical signal. There are many types
Input Devices
Video Camera:
For better quality and longer movies a digital vid-
eo camera is needed.
A digital video camera uses similar technology to
a digital camera, it can even take still images just
like a digital camera. A good digital video camera
can take HD (High Definition) video footage and
store much longer clips. They either use an inter-
nal hard disk, or a large solid state memory card.
The input devices on a video camera include

 Optical lens and sensor to capture moving images
 Microphone to capture sound
Uses: Similar to a digital camera but to take moving
images with sound.
Web Cam:
Short for Web Camera.
This is a small video camera, about the size of a golf
ball, that can send video pictures when attached to a
computer with the right software.
Web Cams are used a lot for video conferencing or to
monitor something from across the Internet. For ex-
ample, it is possible to connect through the internet to a web cam that
has been set up near the north pole.
Uses: Chatting—Commonly used to allow people to see each other whilst
chatting over the internet.
Tourists—There are hundreds of webcams dotted around the world that
are pointed to an interesting scene such as the outside view of a lab in
the Arctic or maybe the Niagara Falls. The web cam is attached to a com-
puter which sends an image to a server on the internet on a regular basis.
Practise Questions
2
4
Input Devices
Sensors Definition: A sensor is a device that measures or detects a

real-world physical condition, such as motion, heat or light and converts
the reading into an analogue or digital representation.
An optical sensor detects the intensity or brightness of light, or the in-
Practise Questions
6
7
Answers
5
6

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 Emerging Technologies

 Impact of emerging technologies

Section 2: Input and output devices

 input devices and their uses

A computer keyboard is an input device that enables the

Scanners, or computer scanners are used to transfer imag-

The input devices on a video camera include

Sensors Definition: A sensor is a device that measures or detects a

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