This one is a more advance "semi-automatic" version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRKAUDHk_MM
As an aside, typewriters are very interesting piece of tech, if you look under the hood. I have one that I use regularly, and it's quite pleasing to use (I've an Olympia Traveller de Luxe).
Some typewriters do have accents as characters you can overtype, but these are simple to add by comparison, they land in consistent places. Chinese characters are anything but consistent.
The concept looks like it should be applicable to computer keyboards, and especially virtual touchscreen ones. Heck, I'm half-curious to prototype such myself just to see how it works.
Typist must have been extremely familiar with their own device and I would imagine they didn't like to share.
I think the idea was that there should be no means of communication that cannot be traced. Whoever pens an idea should be aware that he/she can be traced back to.
