Jan. 18, 2008 -- Sticky note addicts can attest to their usefulness, but their inevitable abundance can sometimes make life even more confusing.
Now researchers have developed electronic sticky notes, called Quickies, that can be searched for digitally and can send reminders and messages via e-mail or a mobile device.
The technology aims to merge digital media with the paper world in a way that improves upon an already ubiquitous method for staying organized.
"It's clear to everyone by now that paper will never go away," said Pattie Maes, associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Maes developed the prototype with Pranav Mistry, a graduate student in the media, arts and sciences program.
But, said Maes, "if you have a paper document on your desk, you can't necessarily search it. It's not part of your electronic organizational system."
Quickies change that.
They look similar to Post-It notes but combine artificial intelligence, natural language processing, ink recognition technologies, and radio frequency identification tags into a modern version of the reliable analog.
The Quickies are placed on an electronic pad that converts handwriting into a digital form. Custom software written by the researchers recognizes letters, numbers and symbols to distinguish an appointment from a contact, and a contact from a label. That same software then integrates the information into the appropriate application, such as an address book or calendar.
Each Quickie note would come embedded with a radio frequency identification tag (RFID). By sprinkling inexpensive RFID receivers throughout a home or office, a person can use the Quickie system to hone in on a tagged item.
For example, let's say you use a Quickie note to mark a book chapter on biofuels. Weeks later, you recall bookmarking the chapter but can't find the book.
A keyword search for "biofuel" in your computer would pull information from the various RFID receivers in your home to show all the relevant notes you have created in past with the word "biofuel" and their location.
Quickies are not just for the user, either. People passing by your desk can use them to communicate with you, too. For example, your boss jots a note saying that a meeting has been changed to an earlier time. Unfortunately, you're at lunch and not aware of the time change. But Quickies automatically sends your phone an instant message with the information.
The ability to handwrite information could improve the lives of people who are still not comfortable using computers, said Maes.
"Somebody who hates using a keyboard and windows…could instead benefit from what a computer provides, like organizing and searching information," she said.
"They have shown something that is incredibly compelling," said David Newbold, an engineer at IBM Corporation in Somers, NY. "It's such an obvious integration."
But for Quickies to become as ubiquitous as the Post-It Note, said Newbold, the necessary tether to a computer will need to be eliminated. In a couple of years, for example, the technology could be available to print the RFID tag and reader on each note.
"When you get to that level where you don't need a computer or a tag or tag reader, it will have real utility," said Newbold.
Maes and Mistry are currently working with some large industry sponsors that have expressed interest, and think the technology could find its way to market in two to five years.
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