Virtual Key Board, Have A Look

[uroojjj 0]

[quote name='http://findarticles.com/?noadc=1 CHANGE

IN KEYBOARDS

Your computer keyboard is probably a magnet for spilled soda, crumbs, dust, and other unsavory debris. Dump enough junk between the keys and the circuit board below--a "mini-computer" equipped with hundreds of pulsing electric circuit switches--will eventually bonk..

 

 

 

 

 

WANNA GET RID OF THEM

 

Now such messes may soon be history, thanks to inventors at the Israeli company VKB. Their stroke of genius: a neon red full-size virtual keyboard that projects onto any flat surface. The device consists of a mini-projector that fires infrared laser beams (fast-moving energy waves) in the shape of a real keyboard, and a sensor that detects when the beams are broken by hand movement

 

 

 

 

 

Now, however, we get a little glimpse with promise that we're not that far off of schedule. You can now get the Laser Virtual Keyboard for quite a reasonable price. Powered by Bluetooth, the matchbox-sized device uses a laser to project a 63 key QWERTY keyboard onto any flat surface. Designed to work with Palm, Symbian and Windows Mobile operating systems, it was originally meant for your PDA. Fortunately, it is supported by Windows XP, and has some OS X support as well.

 

This is a great idea, even if it is plagued by two gaping holes: two hours of battery life and a 63 key keyboard. According to Think Geek, it comes with an AC adapter, so for desktop use it'll do fine (if you actually have a spare power outlet). I think the biggest hurdle is the tiny keyboard. Sure, 63 keys is fine for your PDA, but for your PC, 102 is the only way to go. After all, those function keys are pretty handy.

 

Despite these limitations, this is a brilliant idea. This virtual keyboard has the amazing ability to be immune from spills, crumbs, dirt and cat hair (I know that one way too well.). And of course, the high-tech wow factor. This thing just looks cool, and would impress just about anyone. When the 102 key models come out, I think my current keyboard will have to be retired.

 

GET MORE AMAZED HERE

 

 

 

This is a projector concept by designer Sunman Kwon uses similar technology to that of the Virtual Keyboard . Each of your finger segments on the inside of your hand are turned into keys, representing three letters for each segment or joint. What you end up with, is a keyboard literally in the palm of your hand. This would make for a remarkably portable input device that could just dangle on your wrist waiting for the next time you needed it, then with a little Bluetooth handshake, you're ready to type up a storm.

 

 

More and more people are relying on portable media devices for everyday instead of desktop PCs, meaning that they have to rely on the tiny keyboards that are part of the interface of their PDA or cell phone. A standard computer keyboard would not be a practical accessory, no matter how much faster correspondence would become, but the Projector Keyboard can solve that problem. The keyboard is about the size of a small cell phone itself and projects a standard keyboard onto any flat surface, from the table.

 

Whole article quoted: http://findarticles.com/?noadc=1

[skedad 0]

Man, that is just crazy to think about. These are definitely some ingenious concepts! I just saw Ironman the movie last night, and man that just seems to fit right alongside these inventions.I could definitely go for the virtual keyboard concept. I would just have to keep an area clean and clear. My son would so mess with that when I would be working on it! hahaThat is some cool stuff, too. I wonder what the price tag will be for such innovations.

[Maxfelgar 0]

That's absolutely amazing, and almost 'too' high tech. I don't how the 'box' can tell when you're simply moving over a key, or typing on it, though. Also, wouldn't the keyboard be extremely sensitive? I think it would mess up far too many documents. Personally, I'm sticking with the traditional keyboard for a long time (not that I have much choice, since I have a laptop ).

[Atomic0 0]

An obvious disadvantage of a virtual keyboard is the lack of tactile feedback when pressing a key, making it more difficult to type. However, the virtual keyboard is very portable compared to conventional keyboards that may be bulky to carry around when needed.

[docduke 0]

There seems to me to be something missing. I am a touch typist. My thumbs would be hidden from the laser by my fingers. How can it see if my thumb touched the "space" key? Similarly, if I use my little finger for the Alt key, how can it see it? There are also whole classes of specialized software that use the simultaneous pressing of several letter keys to short-cut access to international characters, or complex symbols such as are used in organic chemistry.Especially for a touch typist, there is a natural tendency to rest the idle hand on the keys. That may also cause problems.Interesting idea, but it may prove to have a lot of shortcomings.

[Merovingian 0]

I've seen that light keyboard before on other forums. Despite it looking very cool, I thought it would be harder to type as you couldn't feel the keys as well as a normal one.

Check out this keyboard! Its very 'Star Treck'!

[docduke 0]

Again, that keyboard concept is unlikely to have tactile feedback from the keys, though it can have visual, in addition to audible feedback. As I understand it, Microsoft is actually working on something like this, though in a much less portable form.I believe Ms is building (or having a contractor build) desks with multimedia flat surfaces on their tops, usable as both display and keyboard. I saw a press release somewhere indicating that one or two hotel chains had bought it, for their entertainment rooms. This concept has been around a long time for video games, but Ms now wants to get their software into it.Personally, I prefer the "keyboard" envisioned in "Minority Report." When you want to control something, you just grab its image out of the air. A major advantage is that you can have a 3D assembly of objects to control, and your brain is not restricted to interpreting a 2D projection of the world. Over the past decade, I have seen at least a half dozen reports of 3D displays, some of them allegedly able to project the image in the air. I have personally witnessed a demonstration of one that used synchronized-shutter "glasses" and a large video terminal.Unfortunately, none of them has proven commercially viable outside of the military, which is willing to pay a lot more (of our money ) for something it really wants.

[wutske 0]

I don't want to spoil the fun, but that virtual keyboard is already very old (maybe 6-8 years), but it's still cool . I personly wouldn't want to have it, if I type I want to have a good feedback from the keys (I want to feel it that I pushed a button and I also want to hear it), that's why I don't like the keyboard on a MacBook, they are too soft and hardly responsive.

[Amaralin 0]

As cool as it sounds I agree with everyone else: How the heck do you feel where the letters are?! You'll be, like, pressing all the wrong letters. xD

 

Well... until and if you get used to it but eh... no thank you for me.

[y4nzi 0]

that looks amazing. that's a really cool idea, my current keyboard does require a good clean. i think i've got 6months worth of crumbs and dust underneath the keys. not to mention some of the letters are no longer visible.

[toby 0]

I'd like something like those screenglasses, one of these then a small lightweight computer, like a mac mini when they add proper graphics, and use it on the train and so on.

[Quatrux 4]

I think it's a nice idea, but it wouldn't be so usable, as when you think how would it really see the differences in the light when I push some keys which aren't seen, maybe it's clean and portable, but I would rather use a simple keyboard and as somebody said here, I also want to fell that I touch the keyboard, get a response and etc. but for example, how can it know if I press and hold the button and let it go, the physics I know is that it will be really sensitive to my fingers..

[FirefoxRocks 0]

I do not like this keyboard because of the lack of tactile response. Also, it may hurt your eyes if you look at it too much in my opinion. I prefer traditional keyboards because it can be compatible with Windows XP/Vista's language settings. I mean, how would THAT keyboard be adjusted to type in say...Chinese or Greek languages?Also, I press key combinations differently. The sensor may detect the wrong key movements and in addition to key combinations, this can seriously increase the number of errors in a document by quite a bit.The portable idea is good, it's just that it may cause too many issues with regular users.

[LifeOn 0]

Many phone manufacturers are looking at the Virtual Keyboard technology, and some are even trying to find a way of implementing them into their phones. T3.com was going to use this kind of technology in their concept phone - The 01 Phone, however many users found that the Keyboard wasn't as reliable as having a QWERTY keyboard on the actual phone, as it is less practical to always find a surface to project your keyboard onto. This has a good future, however I believe that it could only work in desktops, and if it trys to get into the portable devices sector, it will suffer.

[dougeg 0]

cool