The basic range is 2.5 Octaves polyphonic. A new keyboard layout was developed to allow convenient chording while making melody playing easy.

The users hand fits into the metal bracket on the right and a strap holds the whole assembly firmly on the users arm. The instrument is played with the four fingers ; one for each vertical key row. This allows high speed playing because the fingers are so close to the actual keys.

The fingers never need to move sideways as on a conventional keyboard, they only need to move up and down the rows. Again, this contributes to fast and accurate playing.

The thumb is used to control overall volume and Octave range when needed. With a ThumbPick a guitar can be played at the same time!

The present version is Midi output only but is fully touch sensitive. It simply plugs into a synth. and controls it completely.

The device also contains 3 MEMs accelerometers. No details now because this is the subject of a patent application! The next version will reveal all in March 2008.

The next version will have the synth. and  a small amplifier and speaker built-in. It will also have a Zigbee radio link for use with external synths.

This device can simulate many different instruments both physically and electronically.

A musician with one on each hand can accompany himself/herself while still having the freedom to dance and move around!I have plans to organise a five piece band playing only HanKeys! Watch this space!

During the last two years we were asked to completely update the system and this resulted in what is shown here. It is now called LSA3000.

The new system has been very successful and represents the only method for accurate measurement of Leaf Stem in a number of industries.

Besides Leaf Stem it can also be used to measure the parameters of small fruits, nuts and vegetables for grading purposes.

Menzel Fishburne are showing it at the exhibition centre in Paris during November 2007.

The system uses the latest image analysis techniques to measure the Area, Perimeter, length, width and circularity of many objects simultaneously and instantly. It is very fast!

As can be seen, on the display on the left, each object is numbered on the screen for easy identification by the operator and results are presented in tabular for with the parameters of each numbered object.

The system consists of our newly developed software LSA3000. This involved a complete rewrite of previous work and has added many new features.

The software can be run on any PC. Most customers use a portable connected to their network. The software is suitable for all versions of Windows above Windows 98.

A high-resolution Micro-Eye camera is used and this is interfaced to the USB port on the computer.

The camera stand is a special design from Kaiser, Germany.

This has an A3 viewing area with cold-cathode, high frequency illumination.

The full A3 area can be used for analysis but for very high precision work, such as measuring Objectionable Stem or fruit seeds, the camera can be brought the a lower position. Measurements to +/-0.05 mm are possible.

The system is capable of excluding those objects that would interfere with the results such as objects partially outside the viewing area or crossing over each other or touching to closely.

Only those object that have been actually measured are shown, numbered, on the screen. This helps build operator confidence in the systems' ability to exclude unsuitable objects.

All controls of the actual measuring process are via the computer using mouse or keyboard.

Results are presented in tabular form and saved to disk in a number of formats including Excel format. Most customers import the results directly into Excel for processing and graphing to their own requirements.

The above analysis screen was programmed by Alavi Mashoor of Agio Cigars Sri-Lanka using the tool-kit.

The camera was reduced to 30 times its previous size and 100 times its previous weight. The lighting was changed to cold-cathode and a miniature PC was interfaced to camera and machine.

The original system can be viewed on the main Ukelo website under Products.

New analysis software was written in VB.net and Intel assembler. IGOR analysis software was used to give highly reliable  results for measurement of Wrapper length, width, angle and area. This was supplied as a 'Toolkit' to the customer who was able to configure it to their requirements.

Very reliable and consistent results were obtained for measurement of the number of holes and the number of edge cracks in the Wrapper.

The area of each hole and crack was measured for each Wrapper and a range of statistics provided on-screen and  saved to disk and network.

The screen  also shows a small, live, image for operator reassurance but the system effectively works without supervision.

The picture on the left shows a section of the Filling Machine and identifies the new camera unit.

Since the machine carries out stamping and cutting operations there is a large amount of vibration present.

The software chooses the moment of least vibration to take the image. If the image is faulty in any way, it is automatically rejected and not included in any calculated statistics.

 During a single operation, upto 13,000 images are processed so it is vital that no false data is introduced.

The software can store all images on disk in compressed form. These can be transferred via network for a secondary sampling and visual inspection on computer screen.

Using a fast PC, the system can process upto 25 images per second and this has opened up new possible applications within this industry.

The new cold-cathode, high-frequency illumination has reduced costs and maintenance time substantially while providing greatly improved lighting.

For some Wrappers, front lighting is required and this uses exactly the same cold-cathode method as for the back-lit version.

This was a major development during 2006 -2007 for which we have assigned all patents and copy-rights to a third party.

The machine is able to separate plastic contaminants from organic material at high speed ( 12 metres/second belt speed) and can fit directly into process lines for food products etc.

The machines use arrays of, high voltage, ion-beams and our patented detectors to separate plastic contaminants, as small as 5mm X 5mm, from the main product.

The picture shows John Baker standing beside the first machine that we made. This in now in U.S.A. undergoing further development.

No further information can be given at this time due to confidentiality agreements with our sponsors but watch this space!

The Machine uses a combination of electrostatic attraction and air-jets controlled by the ion-beam detectors to provide high-speed separation.

As a side effect the machine also kills any insects or larvae in the processed material.

All mechanics, electrics and electronics designed and manufactured by Ukelo Baker Automation.

The Patent is now owned by Japan Tobacco Inc.

Below is a link to the actual American and European Patent, in a number of languages

Link to John Baker Ion Beam Patent