README

Virtual USB Keyboard
====================

Copyright 2009 Jonathan Oxer
Copyright 2009 Hugh Blemings

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| This project is featured in the book "Practical Arduino" by         |
| Jonathan Oxer and Hugh Blemings (Apress, 2009). More information    |
| about the book and this project is available at:                    |
|                                                                     |
| www.practicalarduino.com/projects/easy/virtual-usb-keyboard         |
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Communicating with a host computer can allow a simple Arduino-based
system to gain access to a wide variety of devices and information. Most
people link an Arduino to a host using serial communications across a
USB connection with custom code running on the host to send information
to the Arduino or receive it in return, but giving your Arduino the
ability to pretend to be a keyboard or mouse opens up a whole world of
possibilities because it means your Arduino can interact with software
that was never intended for external control. That could be desktop
software such as a game or a web browser: your Arduino could "type" into
a web form and submit it on your behalf, or act as a custom controller
for a game!

Or you could use an Arduino to connect a custom input device to your
computer so that it emulates a regular keyboard or joystick. The custom
input device could be a chording keyboard, a virtual keyboard, or even
something like a virtual reality glove or head tracking system
controlling your pointer by emulating a joystick.