This paper presents a novel method of digitizing notes and/or diagrams that are drawn on a sheet of paper. Most modern phones contain magnetometers that output the strength of the surrounding magnetic field in the x, y, and z direction. If a magnet is brought closer to the device (and the magnetometer), the values from the magnetometer will be altered. By determining the change in the altered magnetic field, we can determine the position of the magnet. With the position, we can determine the location of the magnet relative to the phone. We have created a magnet based pen (MagPen) and built an android application that allows users to write notes on a sheet of paper while their mobile phone automatically digitizes. Users will also be able to perform certain actions using the button on the pen and select various pen attributes using the MagPen.
Author Keywords
Pen input, magnetometer, mobile devices, notes
ACM Classification Keywords
H.5.2 [Information interfaces and presentation]: User
Interfaces: Input Devices and Strategies.