What is Handwriting Recognition?
Handwriting recognition allows you to take full advantage of the power of a computerized system and yet keep the natural handwriting so implicated in every day life. You write naturally using an adapted writing device and handwriting recognition transforms what you write into a digital text format, which can then be used by computers. In addition to transforming handwriting into digital text, handwriting recognition opens a vast scope of possibilities: from searching for handwritten notes to triggering actions by writing a symbol.
People generally prefer writing with pen and paper, over typing on a keyboard. But computer systems do not understand handwriting! In order for a computer system to understand handwriting, it needs to be converted into digital text. You can convert handwriting into digital text using handwriting recognition.
Handwriting recognition is used most often to describe the ability of a computer to translate human writing into text. This may take place in one of two ways, either by scanning of written text or by writing directly on to a peripheral input device. The first of these handwriting recognition techniques, known as optical character recognition (OCR), is the most successful in the mainstream. Most scanning suites offer some form of OCR, allowing users to scan in handwritten documents and have them translated into basic text documents. OCR is also used by some archivists as a method of converting massive quantities of handwritten historical documents into searchable, easily-accessible digital forms. The second group of handwriting recognition techniques, often referred to as on-line recognition, has experienced an ebb and flow in popularity. In the 1990s, Apple Computers released a handheld device called the Newton which made use of the first widely available handwriting recognition interf
