In the 1960s, the RAND corporation developed a handwriting recognition system using, well, technology available in the 1960s. Looking back on the system now, a lot of it still holds up. Jack Schaedler wrote an interactive essay to help you understand the contributions of Gabriel Groner, who worked on letters, numbers, and shapes.
By the end of this essay, you should understand exactly how Groner’s handwriting recognition scheme works. More precisely, you will see how Groner’s method works, and develop an intuitive understanding of its various operations and phases. […] When Groner describes an algorithm or heuristic, this essay will provide you with an interactive implementation that you can explore.
