Now it seems learning the Morse code has become simpler. All one has to do is play an experimental new Google Glass-based game — if one can still find a pair of Google Glasses, that is. Players have the code now buzzed into their head while they play, so they don’t have to make a point of intentionally memorizing anything. And while the usefulness of such a skill can be questionable, the technology can have applications beyond Morse code — and beyond smartglasses.
The game was developed by a team lead by Prof. Thad Starner and his Ph.D student Caitlyn Seim at Georgia Tech.
Part of the audio portion of the game involves letters of the alphabet being spoken to the user, via the glasses’ speakers. For each letter said, the Morse code is transmitted as a series of dot/dash vibrations, by the glasses’ bone-conduction transducer. These are felt as taps on the player’s skull, between the ear and temple.
The game however, does not need the players to memorize the code – letter association. Players were able to memorize the code after playing for a few hours. This process is called as passive haptic learning (PHL), which has been previously used by Georgia Tech to teach Braille and play piano via vibrating gloves.
“Does this new study mean that people will rush out to learn Morse code? Probably not,” says Starner. “It show s that PHL lowers the barrier to learn text-entry methods — something we need for smartwatches and any text-entry that doesn’t require you to look at your device or your keyboard.”
