Explain interaction devices.

Touchscreen:

1. Definition: Touchscreens enable users to point and select on-screen objects directly with their fingers or a stylus.
2. Functionality: They detect touch through various methods like interrupting light beams or changes in capacitance.
3. Direct Interaction: Since users point directly at items, there’s no need for mapping, making it a fast and direct device.
4. Application: Ideal for menu selection and requires no specialized pointing device.

Gesture Recognition:

1. Definition: Gesture recognition involves understanding human movements through mathematical processes.
2. Technology: Advances human-computer interaction without mechanical devices, potentially replacing keyboards.
3. Impact: Heavy reliance on touch screens and can revolutionize how users interact with computers.

Speech Recognition:

1. Definition: Transcribing spoken words into written text is the essence of speech recognition.
2. Application: Used for hands-free control of devices, keeping technology updated with user preferences.
3. Benefits: Enables users to control various devices through spoken commands, enhancing user convenience.

Keyboard:

1. Overview: Traditional input device with keys representing written symbols or characters.
2. Evolution: Gave rise to various interactive devices, including soft-screen keyboards for computers and mobile phones.

Response Time:

1. Definition: Response time is the time taken by a device to react to a user’s request.
2. Components: Includes service time, wait time, and, if applicable, transmission time over a network.
3. Example: Can be measured in various scenarios, such as loading a webpage or querying a database.