Cursive Counter
Amna Imran, Caeden Wargo, Lauren Harrington, Eric Eversbusch
Amna Imran, Caeden Wargo, Lauren Harrington, Eric Eversbusch
The Cursive Counter is a tangible user interface that allows anyone to practice their cursive handwriting. It is a fun learning tool that can be utilized in classrooms or at home to quantifiably improve cursive skills. Users can trace the letters over and over until their writing score increases.
Cursive Counter is specifically made for 2nd-3rd graders, which is the typical age when people learn cursive. But apart from kids, the technology can be used by someone trying to learn cursive at any point in their life–whether you are a kid, college student, or adult!! This invention can be useful for homeschoolers or people learning english for the first time as a second language as well.
The project aims to build motor skills within people learning cursive without actually wasting paper or ink. The templates are intended to be of various sizes. Larger sized font allows more leeway for errors, whereas smaller font connected into full sentences allowed advanced practice.
The technology allows you to pass over a letter/word using a stylus. The stylus is grounded to the makey makey board, so if it touches the black electric paint outline, the circuit loop completes and the counter increments by one in order to keep track of "mistakes". This happens because the electric paint is connected to the makey makey board via wiring running through the back of the board. Additionally, the counter can be found on a "spacebar counter with sound" site.
Makey Makey Invention Kit
conductive paint
foamboard and markers
alligator clips and wires
laptop computer
a spacebar counting website found here: spacebarcounter.org/
Create templates with full sentences and connected letters
Different sized fonts
Buzzer indicating error
LEDs on both sides (accounting for lefties and righties)
Note: This project was developed as part of the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering course ENGR 1716 The Art of Making: An Introduction to Hands-On System Design and Engineering