What Are Computer Input Devices?

An input device for a computer is anything that sends information to the

CPU to perform a specific function. A computer has the ability to use many
different types of input devices to provide a unique experience to each
user. Computer input devices include many types of hardware such as a
keyboard, mouse, webcam, scanner as well as a microphone

Keyboard
 The keyboard is one of the most common types of input devices that
is used with a computer. A keyboard consists of letters, numbers and
other types of keys that perform different types of functions when
used with a computer system. A keyboard can connect to the
computer through a cord as well through a wireless connection.

Mouse
 Another common input device that is used with a computer is a
mouse or pointing device. A mouse displays a cursor on the screen
that is used to make selections and navigate the operating system.
All modern operating systems use a graphical interface which
requires a mouse to open files, folders and to make selections. A
mouse also connects using a cord or a wireless connection
Joystick

A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports
its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as
'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and
military aircraft, either as a center stick or side-stick. They often have
supplementary switches on them to control other aspects of the aircraft's flight.
Many people use joysticks on computer games involving flight such as flight
simulator.

Joysticks are often used to control video games, and usually have one or more
push-buttons whose state can also be read by the computer. A popular variation of
the joystick used on modern video game consoles is the analog stick. Joysticks are
also used for controlling machines such as cranes, trucks, underwater unmanned
vehicles, wheelchairs, surveillance cameras and zero turning radius lawn mowers.
Miniature finger-operated joysticks have been adopted as input devices for smaller
electronic equipment such as mobile phones
trackball

A trackball is a computer cursor control device used in many notebook and laptop
computers. The trackball is usually located in front of the keyboard toward the
user. Essentially, the trackball is an upside-down mouse that rotates in place within
a socket. The user rolls the ball to direct the cursor to the desired place on the
screen and can click one of two buttons (identical to mouse buttons) near the
trackball to select desktop objects or position the cursor for text entry.
 Light Pen

A Light Pen is a pointing device shaped like a pen and is

connected to a VDU.
The tip of the light pen contains a light-sensitive element which,
when placed against the screen, detects the light from the screen
enabling the computer to identify the location of the pen on the
screen.

A light pen
Light pens have the advantage of 'drawing' directly onto the
screen, but this can become uncomfortable, and they are not as
accurate as digitising tablets

Graphics tablet

A graphics tablet (also digitizer, digitizing tablet, graphics pad, drawing tablet
or pen tablet) is a computer input device that enables a user to hand-draw images
and graphics, similar to the way a person draws images with a pencil and paper.
These tablets may also be used to capture data or handwritten signatures. It can
also be used to trace an image from a piece of paper which is taped or otherwise
secured to the surface. Capturing data in this way, either by tracing or entering the
corners of linear poly-lines or shapes is called digitizing.

A graphics tablet (also called pen pad or digitizer) consists of a flat surface upon
which the user may "draw" or trace an image using an attached stylus, a pen-like
drawing apparatus. The image generally does not appear on the tablet itself but,
rather, is displayed on the computer monitor. Some tablets, however, come as a
functioning secondary computer screen[1] that you can interact with images[2]
directly by using the stylus.
touch screen

A touch screen is a computer display screen that is also an input device. The
screens are sensitive to pressure; a user interacts with the computer by touching
pictures or words on the screen.

There are three types of touch screen technology:

 Resistive: A resistive touch screen panel is coated with a thin metallic

electrically conductive and resistive layer that causes a change in the
electrical current which is registered as a touch event and sent to the
controller for processing. Resistive touch screen panels are generally more
affordable but offer only 75% clarity and the layer can

 Surface wave: Surface wave technology uses ultrasonic waves that pass
over the touch screen panel. When the panel is touched, a portion of the
wave is absorbed. This change in the ultrasonic waves registers the position
of the touch event and sends this information to the controller for
processing. Surface wave touch screen panels are the most advanced of the
three types, but they can be damaged by outside elements.

 Capacitive: A capacitive touch screen panel is coated with a material that

stores electrical charges. When the panel is touched, a small amount of
charge is drawn to the point of contact. Circuits located at each corner of
the panel measure the charge and send the information to the controller
for processing. Capacitive touch screen panels must be touched with a
 finger unlike resistive and surface wave panels that can use fingers and
stylus. Capacitive touch screens are not affected by outside elements and
have high clarity.

What is OMR(Optical Mark Reader)

It is a device designed to read answers placed on a form or

document. We always called them Scan tron machines, because
in school that is what the forms were called. Here is a little more
complicated definition:
A special scanning device that can read carefully placed pencil
marks on specially designed documents. OMR is frequently used
in forms, questionnaires, an answer-sheets.
Advantage: A quick and reliable way of inputting large volume of
simple data
Disadvantage: It can't be used for bulk text/numbers input.
Barcode reader

A barcode reader (or barcode scanner) is an electronic device for reading printed barcodes.
Like a flatbed scanner, it consists of a light source, a lens and a light sensor translating optical
impulses into electrical ones. Additionally, nearly all barcode readers contain decoder circuitry
analyzing the barcode's image data provided by the sensor and sending the barcode's content to
the scanner's output port

A handheld barcode scanner

Card reader
A card reader is a data input device that reads data from a card-shaped storage medium.
Historically, paper or cardboard punched cards were used throughout the first several decades of
the computer industry to store information and programs for computer system, and were read by
punched card readers. More modern card readers are electronic devices that use plastic cards
imprinted with barcodes, magnetic strips, computer chips or other storage medium.
A memory card reader is a device used for communication with a smart card or a memory card.
A magnetic card reader is a device used to read magnetic stripe cards, such as credit cards. A
business card reader is a device used to scan and electronically save printed business cards.

Magnetic Ink Character Reader

Magnetic Ink Character Reader (MICR) is an input device widely used by banks to process large
volume of checks and deposit forms written everyday. It consists of special ink called magnetic
ink (i.e. an ink that contains iron oxide particles) is used to write characters on the check and
deposit forms to be processed by an MICR. IT is capable of reading characters which are
compared with special potter stored in the memory to identify the characters. The identification
number of the bank and the depositor’s account number are printed by the magnetic ink on the
lower left side of the check before the checks are issued. With the same magnetic ink the amount
received from the customer is printed on the lower right side of the check by the bank employee.
When a check is entered into an MICR, it passes through a magnetic ink. It interprets the
characters and sends the corresponding data directly to the computer for processing. In this way
MICR makes job of the bank easy.
Video camera

A Sony high definition video camera

A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed
by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video
cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used
by the BBC in experimental broadcasts through the 1930s. All-electronic designs based on the
cathode ray tube, such as Vladimir Zworykin's Iconoscope and Philo T. Farnsworth's Image
dissector, supplanted the Baird system by the 1940s and remained in wide use until the 1980s,
when cameras based on solid-state image sensors such as CCDs (and later CMOS active pixel
sensors) eliminated common problems with tube technologies such as image burn-in and made
digital video workflow practical.

Video cameras are used primarily in two modes. The first, characteristic of much early
broadcasting, is live television, where the camera feeds real time images directly to a screen for
immediate observation. A few cameras still serve live television production, but most live
connections are for security, military/tactical, and industrial operations where surreptitious or
remote viewing is required. In the second mode the images are recorded to a storage device for
archiving or further processing; for many years, videotape was the primary format used for this
purpose, but optical disc media, hard disk, and flash memory in tapeless camcorders are all
increasingly used. Recorded video is used in television and film production, and more often
surveillance and monitoring tasks where unattended recording of a situation is required for later
analysis.