Google Japan unveils keyboard with four conveyor belts for one-handed typing
After Google Japan already developed a keyboard with ten rotary dials as well as a 1.65-meter-long keyboard, Google is showcasing another Gboard version that is at least equally unusual. While the latest keyboard uses a fairly conventional key layout, it mounts the keys, arranged in four rows, on conveyor belts.
The keyboard is positioned vertically, and the four columns of keys then move at a constant speed. With 29 keys per track, each conveyor belt can move in an endless loop. The hand is positioned at the bottom of the keyboard. Since the conveyor belts transport the keys directly to the fingers, they only need to be pressed at the right moment – eliminating the need to move hands or fingers across the keyboard.
This allows for ergonomic typing with just one hand. As with Google Japan's earlier keyboard concepts, however, the latest Gboard is more of a fun gadget than a practical keyboard. Touch typing is hardly possible on this keyboard, while the conveyor belt system causes waiting times between letters, which in turn affect typing speed – although the keyboard does at least support a high-speed mode for impatient users.
While Google Japan has no plans to bring the keyboard to market, the company has published all the data required to build it under an open-source license on GitHub, from the mainboard design to the firmware. The GitHub project is not yet complete, but Google intends to provide all the information that tinkerers need to construct this Gboard over the coming weeks.
Source(s)
Add as a preferred source on Google
No comments for this article
