SCRITER resketch – the Scientific Writer
An Automatic Mathematical Expressions Digitizer with Archiving & Real Time Sharing/Collaboration
Significance of Opportunity :
From a student authoring his first research paper to a busy professor, every researcher knows that research success is heavily based on collaboration with fellow researchers. The present mode of communication & data sharing is inefficient, depending mainly on telephonic conversations and mathematical sketches that are shared by scanning or conversion to Latex or other document formats. We aim to remove these barriers to collaboration (especially, the mundane task of converting research notes into shareable formats) thereby enhancing the effectiveness of communication and enabling greater focus and attention of mathematicians, researchers, and engineers towards creative work. We seek to help them document their work digitally, but in a way that is natural and as easy as writing equations on paper. This helps revert the focus back towards research work rather than learning of software keystrokes, button clicks, and menu selections.
Our Innovation is spread in 3 serial domains: Read-Recognize-Replace
Read : ( SCRITER ) Cordless regular size Pen with IR & Ultrasonic transducers to capture & convert the pen sketch on normal paper into digital ink. The grip of the button contain capacitive sensor based touch pad to detect brush up & brush down user inputs beside a press switch near the tip.
Recognize : Machine learning based Handwritten Mathematical Equation & Diagram Recognition System is used to generate the equivalent digital representation (LaTex and Word Equations).
Replace : ( ReSketch ) The user manipulates the sketch using the gesture augmentation. Also archive/tag information on paper into digital formats. All through sharing real time information with a collaborator in an interactive manner
Collaboration System:
The system allows several Scriter users to share secure whiteboard screens, thereby enhancing research collaboration. Once the person connects to encryption based online scientific document editing system, the users will be able to chat as well as manipulate each other’s inputs in real time, while ensuring data coherency. Additionally, a VoIP scheme enhances the collaboration through voice interaction. Furthermore, archived data can be also stored in secure user specific online vault for on-the-move access without the need to carry the data.
Market :
The market for scientific notes sharing & archiving is large and untapped. The technology is expected to accelerate the process of research and collaboration to unseen heights. A number of large companies have invested in the development of enhanced writing devices. Computing giant Microsoft Corp. has invested $1.2 million in a pen-based computer research center at Brown University. The proposed technology seeks to complement and advance the state-of-art in Human Computer Interaction to achieve enhanced research collaboration.
