Programming a PVR with pen and paper

Abstract

User Interfaces to control networked appliances are often inadequate. Either they are too simplistic and cannot cover the extended functionality offered by the appliance, or they are too complex and complicated as they typically rely on the use of a computer keyboard and screen. Therefore a user interface that supports complex functionalities and is easy to use is required. In this demo, digital pen and paper are presented as a suitable interface. Pen and paper are well known to all users and suitable paper forms make it straightforward to fully control and program networked appliances without a PC interface. Thus an important barrier to the acceptance of networked appliances is broken. A major challenge to this work has been the integration of different network protocols used in the home. The use of an OSGi gateway has proven a great help to integrate them. This paper discusses an approach to the integration of pen and paper with networked appliances using an OSGi gateway. Because of the use of an OSGi gateway, the approach is open for application to devices using a variety of network protocols. In this demo the control of a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) using digital pen and paper will be demonstrated.