Magic Paper: Sketch-Understanding Research.

The article reports on research into sketch-understanding systems for tablet personal computers (tablet PC). It discusses the work of the Sketch Understanding Group, of which the author is a member, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on developing a "magic paper," or "intelligent paper," a paper-like surface that can convert sketches of physical systems into animated computer graphics. Sketch-understanding systems go beyond traditional computer-aided design (CAD) programs that produce diagrams, and beyond handwriting recognition systems.