iKey unveils night-vision compatible keyboards

We're assuming the "bloom" caused by using traditional backlit keyboards with night vision goggles is really only a problem for a small handful of you, but if you're in the military (or just really want to bring that sci-fi aesthetic to your den), iKey's new line of night vision keyboards is probably right up your alley. Normal LEDs can be hard to read with night vision gear, but iKey's units use filtered LEDs that avoid those nasty flareouts -- which also means your ability to blind Buffalo Bill with a keyboard is no more. Thanks a lot, iKey.

[waiownsyou @ Oct 11th 2007 5:51AM]

Great invention for those military people surfing online with night vision on. Too bad the monitor will most likely rape your eyes.

[L.Rawlins @ Oct 11th 2007 6:48AM]

Wouldn't an ultraviolet pen stenciled over a regular keyboard have done a similar, far cheaper job?

I know they're not of the night-vision spectrum, but let's face it, black light... or the white light of your notebook monitor... you're still likely to get shot!

And speaking of which, aren't your night-vision goggles going to go ape-shit and blind you when you look up at the pure white LCD anyway?!

[Tony @ Oct 11th 2007 6:38AM]

I wasn't worried about Buffalo Bill, anyway. I'm not a size six.

[DarkAardvark @ Oct 11th 2007 6:37AM]

can you even see the monitor with night vision on?

[teej @ Oct 11th 2007 11:00AM]

a normal monitor would blind someone w/ nvis. they make 'dim-to-dark' displays that's brightness can be turned down low enough for easy readability.

[Nex @ Oct 11th 2007 10:13PM]

there is a monitor that is night vision compatible they are installed in all our humvees. for the gps/sat nav system

[Boris @ Oct 11th 2007 6:45AM]

Nilay Patel is writing articles now? Great article but the fact that he's an attorney and not a writer... but atleast he writes good.

[zfurie @ Oct 11th 2007 12:06PM]

Yeah, and I hope he's not too biased towards fruity products.

[zfurie @ Oct 11th 2007 12:06PM]

Yeah, and I hope he's not too biased towards fruity products.

[Nilay Patel @ Oct 11th 2007 2:26PM]

I've been writing for Engadget for far longer than I've been doing Know Your Rights, actually. What makes you say I shouldn't do both?

[jimmyfinch @ Oct 11th 2007 8:25PM]

He writes well also.

[rudebo @ Oct 11th 2007 7:00AM]

Whoa are these military professionals on possibly covert operations and cant type without seeing the keys

[jimmyfinch @ Oct 11th 2007 8:29PM]

The money allocated for the raised dots on the home keys went to black ops.

[Grizz @ Oct 11th 2007 8:18AM]

a single Infrared Led ($1), a 9v battery (50cents), and a resister (25cents) and you can illuminate any chepo keyboard.

[billy @ Oct 11th 2007 11:41AM]

"a single Infrared Led ($1), a 9v battery (50cents), and a resister (25cents)"

... surfing web porn in the dark while stalking your neighbor with nightvision goggles (priceless)

[BananaBoat @ Oct 11th 2007 8:30AM]

Now if they could only make thermal keyboards that were resistant to the heat of your fingers making them glow.

Oh wait, nobody would care about that product either. Silly me

[MacGyver @ Oct 11th 2007 8:30AM]

I guess no one else in the world thought about simply turning down the brightness of the backlight LEDs...

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 11th 2007 8:46AM]

It's those cheap Russian imagers!

[Rick @ Oct 11th 2007 3:42PM]

Hmm, my macbook pro's lit keyboard isn't blinding as noted. Maybe this is a PC only related tech issue/solution?

[Sanchez @ Oct 11th 2007 8:05PM]

You're an idiot.

[Magallanes @ Oct 11th 2007 9:14AM]

Those keyboard was created thinking in a tank, uboat, blackbird and those black helicopters. Works with special screen and special equipment.

Special for black-ops and geardos.

[Geoff @ Oct 11th 2007 10:01AM]

Do you even NEED backlight with night vision goggles?

[Frangible @ Oct 11th 2007 11:12AM]

"a single Infrared Led ($1), a 9v battery (50cents), and a resister (25cents) and you can illuminate any chepo keyboard."

Yes, but the issue is that night vision is *too sensitive* here, and the photocathode material used in Gen III scopes is especially sensitive to IR, so even a weak IR source makes it bloom horribly. You actually want something blue or violet in color, which the photocathode is not sensitive to. I'm guessing this is blue LEDs with a filter to shift it to almost-UV.

"Great invention for those military people surfing online with night vision on. Too bad the monitor will most likely rape your eyes."

The issue is in vehicles which have a lot of computers and comm gear, the instrumentation will cause reflections off the inside of the windows that blind night vision and thus hurt visibility at night, because the reflections on every window are brighter than what's outside of them. Rolling down the window isn't a good idea because the windows are ballistic glass.

Not everyone has night vision, so a lot of the instrumentation is red (to preserve natural human night vision), though in aircraft which can primarily navigate via night vision almost all of it is blue now.

They aren't web browsing, and not all the buttons are connected to something with an obvious display.

[RIFRAF @ Oct 11th 2007 11:42AM]

"They aren't web browsing, and not all the buttons are connected to something with an obvious display."

Ahh yes, but you know there's some guy out there naked, with only his night vision goggles and his new nv keyboard celebrating the night that he can now browse the porn at night...

[RIFRAF @ Oct 11th 2007 11:43AM]

"They aren't web browsing, and not all the buttons are connected to something with an obvious display."

Ahh yes, but you know there's some guy out there naked, with only his night vision goggles and his new nv keyboard celebrating the night that he can now browse the porn at night...

[kevjohn @ Oct 11th 2007 12:32PM]

Or they could just learn how to type.

[RoboDan @ Oct 11th 2007 3:07PM]

If they're going to use a computer at night, why not get a Thinkpad - it has a "thinklight" that illuminates the keyboard (whose keys are coated in reflective material).

:)

[fearless_fx @ Oct 11th 2007 8:20PM]

The goggles! They do nothing!!!1!!