A hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact with and control it.

An input device is any hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact with and control the computer. The most commonly used or primary input devices on a computer are the keyboard and mouse. However, there are dozens of other devices that can also be used to input data into the computer. Below is a list of computer input devices that can be utilized with a computer or a computing device.

A hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact with and control it.

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Updated: 08/16/2021 by

A hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact with and control it.

An input device is any hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact with and control it. The picture shows a Logitech trackball mouse, which is an example of an input device.

The most commonly used or primary input devices on a computer are the keyboard and mouse. However, there are other devices that input data into a computer.

Types of input devices

  • Audio conversion device
  • Barcode reader
  • Biometrics (e.g., fingerprint scanner).
  • Business card reader
  • Data collection device
  • Digital camera and digital camcorder.
  • EEG (electroencephalography)
  • Finger (with touch screen or Windows Touch).
  • Gamepad, balance board, dance pad, joystick, paddle, steering wheel, pedals, and Microsoft Kinect.
  • Gesture recognition
  • Graphics tablet
  • Guitar, MIDI keyboard, or other musical instrument connected to the computer.
  • Keyboard
  • Light gun
  • Light pen
  • Magnetic ink (like the ink found on checks).
  • Magnetic stripe reader
  • Medical imaging devices (e.g., X-ray, CAT scan, and ultrasound images).
  • Microphone (using voice speech recognition or biometric verification).
  • MIDI keyboard
  • MICR
  • Motion-sensing mouse or game controller
  • Mouse, touchpad, or other pointing devices.
  • OMR (optical mark reader)
  • Paddle
  • Pen or stylus
  • Punch card reader
  • Remote
  • RFID reader
  • Scanner
  • Sensors (e.g., heat and orientation sensors).
  • Sonar imaging devices
  • Stylus (with touch screen).
  • Touch-sensitive pad (like pad on early iPod)
  • Touch screen
  • Voice (using voice speech recognition or biometric verification).
  • Video capture device
  • Virtual device
  • VR helmet and gloves
  • Webcam
  • Yoke

Note

Although OMR cards and punch cards contain data, they are not considered input devices by themselves. It is the readers that interpret the cards that are considered an input device.

What are the input devices of my computer?

Every computer comes with a keyboard and a mouse (touchpad with laptop), which are considered input devices. As far as other input devices, it depends on what was included with your computer and what's connected to the computer. The best method of determining all of the input devices your computer has is to go through the list above.

What does an input device send to a computer?

What an input device sends (inputs) to a computer depends on the device. Additionally, all input devices send data from the device over a cable or wireless transmission to the computer. For example, as you move a computer mouse, the data sent to the computer is the X-Y axis movements used to display the mouse cursor on the screen. You can see a live example of this on our x-axis definition.

Why does a computer need an input device?

Today, input devices are important because they are what lets you interact with and add new information to a computer. For example, if a computer had no input devices, it could run by itself but there would be no way to change its settings, fix errors, or other various user interactions. Also, if you wanted to add new information to the computer (e.g., text, command, document, picture, etc.), you wouldn't be able to do so without an input device.

Input devices for physically challenged users

In addition to the list mentioned above, other specially designed input devices are designed for the physically challenged. Below is a list of examples of these devices.

  • Eye-tracking - A specialized camera to track a user's eye to perform actions or move a mouse pointer.
  • Foot mouse - Mouse pointer controlled using pedals with your feet.
  • Gesture recognition - Specialized device to detect different gestures, including facial expressions, reading lips, and sign language.
  • Head-mounted pointer - A pointer can be mounted to a hat or band to track and control the mouse pointer.
  • Joystick - A joystick next to the computer or on a wheelchair to control a mouse pointer. It's possible these joysticks could be operated using your chin, lips, or tongue for people with no head movement.
  • Voice recognition - Using your voice to control computer functions and typing on a computer.

Hardware terms, HID, Input, Input/output device, Keyboard terms, Mouse terms, Output device, Pointing device

What is the hardware that allows data to be put into the computer?

Input Devices An input device is any hardware component that allows you to enter data and instructions into a computer. Five widely used input devices are the keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner, and Web cam. A computer keyboard contains keys you press to enter data into the computer.

What hardware device is used to send data from a computer to another device or user?

An output device is any hardware device used to send data from a computer to another device or user. Usually, most output peripherals are meant for human use, so they receive the processed data from the computer and transform it in the form of audio, video, or physical reproductions.

Which program allows the users to interact with hardware devices?

An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.