Glass keyboard concept opts for cameras instead of keys
By Donald Melanson 
posted Jun 12th 2008 2:48PM
posted Jun 12th 2008 2:48PM
While we can't say it's our notion of an ideal keyboard, we've still got to admire designer Kong Fanwen's ability to throw any sense of practicality to the wind and ditch the whole idea of keys with his new "No-key Keyboard" concept. In the place of that tried and true typing mechanism, this keyboard would instead make use of a camera and the "latest motion capture technology" to watch your fingers' movement and capture all the right keystrokes (ideally). On the upside, that'd apparently make the keyboard fully waterproof, and it'd apparently come with some snazzy lighting options to help you find those non-existent keys in the dark.
[Via Pocket-lint]
[Via Pocket-lint]
Might feel a bit better if they made small tiny glass inlays that were raised up from the surface a little with small degree of concavity
It shouldn't be a problem seeing as how they've already made it so the keyboard floats in mid-air.
I'm really not getting the users of this site.
The iPhone has a virtual keyboard, which doesn't provide tactile feedback (I'm ignoring the space constraints because I seldom hear complaints about the size of it) and people say it's a crappy idea and blast it. These people have a tactile-less keyboard and now it's a great idea....wtf?
This is some odd anti-Engadget behavior......
Quit. Mentioning. Iphone.
I'll quit mentioning iphone if you'll stop puking out extra punctation.
Actually derX seems to have a valid point here.. which is odd because he brought up the iphone again. damn it
Perhaps because the iPhone is a portable device and using an on-screen keyboard allows for a full keyboard without increasing the size of the device or decreasing the size of the screen. I certainly don't like not having tactile feedback, but in this case it was worth the sacrifice.
This keyboard concept is just impractical.
This wont work
because you would be typing ON A HARD SURFACE.
(a couple of years back they did an IR Keyboard that displayed a keyboard on almost any flat surface, ... it didn't work because peoples fingers where bleeding from typing on a hard surface. (notice how the keyboards have buttons that absorb the shock of the impact of each finger, they might have ABS, suspension in the keyboards that we are not aware of, or even airbags)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2308/2451660021_32aff6638b.jpg?v=0
I don't think that picture works; the dog clearly succeeded in eating all of those Cheez-It's, he just didn't have an exit strategy. So it should say "Mission Accomplished", not "Fail".
wait ... wasn't there something about a keyboard ...
My pecker never has an exit strategy...."Mission Accomplished". :)
I guess this will kind of be like the laser keyboard. It would be so much easier to keep clean.
Exactly what I came here to mention.
http://www.virtual-laser-keyboard.com/
just windex your keyboard and it will shine like new!
So the camera would be mounted underneath?
Intriguing, completely impractical idea and would this require a certain type of desk?
Where would my legs go?
Oh, and I want it.
Well considering that this thing floats in mid air you'd probably have to sell your legs to buy it. So there...problem solved.
if you look closely you can see the dot of the camera in the center of the black piece so it looks like its an all-in-one piece of equipment with no setup required. Looks like your legs wont be a problem so you get to keep them, at least for now....
Ouch.
Bundle this with a matching wireless transparent glass mouse and I would buy it. Heck, I'd even spring for the outlandish overnight shipping fees just to have it that much sooner. Anything see-thru is neato.
how about a see thru lcd display
i call it: window
"mouse" is so 20th century - multitouch ftw
I would definitely buy that if it were reasonably priced.
Do the dismembered hands come with the keyboard or are those sold separately? If they are not included its a deal breaker for me.
well half of me wants...
half is going to wait until it has a LCARS interface =]
YES YES YES but why ?
So is it just called a board?
Good point. Keyboard pane?
Another pain to the fingers like Virtual laser keyboards.
Awesome. I thought my WPM was starting to get too high. Now I can bring it back down again by having to look at my keyboard every two seconds.
For anyone that has never used a "touch" keyboard, they are terrible. Tactile feedback is an important aspect of user interface design and it's almost completely lost on touch interfaces (the touch keyboard I used at least had two bumps to keep you from drifting too far). If someone could invent a touch interface that also could provide programmable tactile feedback, now that would be something.
like this?!
http://www.redferret.net/?p=9533
Another device which goes to prove that people who live in glass huts shouldn't stow thrones.
shouldn't stow thrones?
@Rick: Hahaha... nice.
@Ian: Rick got a prototype of the glass board, it seems.
ahh Tim, how you must be right
looks very nice. but how much?
Shit i broke my keyboard!
I'll pass how will it know if I'm pressing the keys or just holding my fingers in the correct typing position ?
I don't know about all of you, but when I type I like having the tactile feedback of the key press, and also keep multiple fingers on the keyboard at any one time.
On the contrary, I keep both my feet on mine.
Sweet! I'm in for 3!
I'll be honest i've always wanted something like this its a great idea, except when you're the angry german kid then you just get glass shards everywhere. But for the everyday person a glass keyboard shouldn't be a problem just keep out of reach of children. As long as the key detection system works i'll definitely buy this keyboard..... now if i could just get a nice HD monitor thats the same thickness plus touch-screen I'd be set!
It's stylish, but yeah, tactile response.
I hope the near future brings holographic keyboards, or hell entire computers, with some sort of feedback.
Also wrist mounted.
And glowy.
I think this is really cool except that I will always like the feel of the keys when I type.
DO. NOT. WANT.
Maybe instead of printed, instead how about instead putting a black and white screen? Not to mention since it uses black and white screen, its a lot cheaper than full colour?
Forget black and white, make it FULL COLOR!
Can we say, Optimus Killer?
I am sure a single fullcolor display would be cheaper to produce than the Optimus many tiny display keyboard... AND will make the Optimus look crappy!
"What do you mean you can only change what each key looks like? My keyboard can have a compleatly different layout! I can even have LCars on it if I want!"
What happens when I throw it against the wall? When it breaks does it break into big chunks or is it like a car window and when it breaks it forms thousands of tiny pieces of razor sharp glass?
Why would you..
I am really waiting for some cool commercial product like this one !!!
Wanted to have one of these from ages......
Yes, but from which ages?
looks freaking awesome, but the idea is just impracticle...there is nothing wrong with a regular keyboard...how is making one out of glass improving my life?
Sure apple didn't have a hand in this, it really shows a Steve like love of form over function.
Reminds me of that much shared render a design student did a while ago of an all glass imac with glass keyboard
What I fail to understand about these, and most "innovations" these days is how they improve upon the function of the object at hand. Sure it looks beautiful. But I can almost guarantee that if you pulled all the keys off there, made it recognize handwriting and have a bunch of larger areas which probably wouldn't need to be delineated to touch for F keys and other non typing keys, you would have
1: clear piece of glass
2: functional piece of equipment
3: an improvement on the way people interface with a computer, not a less efficient product
Handwriting is an improvement?
The picture "clearly" indicates that this concept "shatters" imagination.
Anyway, love to see them make this into production... I hope with some plastic material and not glass, although not sure of how well the camera can sense through plastics. Oh, and wireless please. Such a high-tech gadget shouldn't have cables attached.
For those of you who say there's no feedback - they could add in Samsung's touch response thing from their touch phones (even though I'm an iPhone user) that vibrates slightly during contact.
Hay, this is an old concept? I remember this in the movie "TRON" On his office desk , err top computer. it is the perfect setup for the CEO's that never do anything!
hey at lest it will be easy to clean if you have "sticky" keys
srry bout spellg. hd 2 txt. dsk 2 mssy & cnt fnd dmn keybd!!
Great, another window to clean. I don't do windows, hahah
I find it hard to see the comfort of these non-tactile keyboards unless they are able to provide some sort of feedback to your fingers as you type.
Yeah, bad idea. I don't know about everyone else, but i often get frustrated and throw my keyboard a lot. An unbreakable keyboard would be much better. nothing beats a good old fashion disposable beige keyboard. if you get pissed you can break it in half, and ladies and gentleman that is much more pleasing.
might be a problem for typists who often put their fingers on the home keys without even thinking....
Two words: Haptic Feedback
Does no one else see the star trek-like potential of this? You would not be restriced to the typical keyboard layout, and would be able to project an interface onto the glass (yes, I know that the layout will probably be printed on, but taking the technology a step further). It would make life much easier if you had the specific commands for the program that you are using, in place of, say, the F-keys.
Only loved by people that have never used a typewriter. I want tactile feedback from typing. Cool concept, just impractical IMHO.