About Dasher
What is Dasher?
Dasher is an information-efficient text-entry interface driven by natural continuous pointing gestures. Unlike traditional keyboards where you hunt for each letter, Dasher presents letters in a zooming interface where you navigate toward your target.
As you move toward a letter, it expands and other letters appear. By continuously steering toward your target, you can enter text at speeds competitive with touch typing, using only a single pointing device.
Real-world example: Yvette, a Dasher user, writes using a trackpad and reports speeds of around 32 words per minute, faster than other techniques she has tried.
Origins
Dasher was originally developed by the Inference Group at the University of Cambridge, led by David MacKay and funded in part by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. The project began in 1997 and has since evolved through multiple major versions.
Accessibility
While Dasher is useful for anyone seeking an alternative text entry method, it was originally designed for users with severe disabilities. Because it works with any continuous pointing device, Dasher enables text entry for users who cannot use traditional keyboards.
Supported input methods include:
- Mouse - The most common input method
- Touchscreen - Tablets and smartphones
- Eye-tracking - For users with limited motor control
- Head-tracking - Using head movements
- Switch access - Single-switch scanning
- And more - Any device providing continuous 2D input
Open Source
Dasher is free and open-source software, licensed under the GPL-3.0. The project is maintained by a community of developers and researchers committed to keeping Dasher accessible and improving its capabilities.
You can contribute to Dasher by:
- Reporting bugs on GitHub Issues
- Submitting pull requests with improvements
- Joining discussions on Matrix
- Improving documentation
- Spreading the word about Dasher
Version 6
Dasher v6 represents a complete rewrite of the codebase with modern software architecture. This version improves performance, expands platform support, and makes the codebase more maintainable for future development.
Key improvements in v6 include:
- Modern, cross-platform codebase
- Improved performance on low-power devices
- Better language model support
- Enhanced accessibility features
- Active development and community support
Dasher Timeline
Dasher Project Begins
Development starts at the Inference Group, University of Cambridge
Nature Publication
"Dasher - A Data-Entry Interface Using Continuous Gestures and Language Models" published in Nature
Multiple Releases
Dasher v4 and v5 released with extensive platform support and language models
Dasher v6 Announced
Complete rewrite announced with modern architecture and expanded platform support
Active Development
Community-driven development continues with regular updates and improvements
Video Demonstrations
Watch Dasher in action with these video demonstrations showing different input methods.
Yvette: Trackpad Demo (~32 WPM)
Yvette uses Dasher with a trackpad and reports typing at around 32 words per minute.
Eye-Tracking Demo (Nov 2001)
Classic eye-tracking demonstration from the original project videos.
Control Mode
Enhanced eye-tracking mode demonstrating control mode behavior.
Dasher Eyetracker and BreathDasher
Additional legacy demos now hosted on YouTube.
More videos: EyeDasher 4800, BreathDasher.
Join the Dasher Community
Dasher is developed and maintained by a global community of users, developers, and researchers. We welcome contributions of all kinds.