Cool Leaf input devices create the keyboard of the future circa 1982
![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/sUVQTAkANvS.Dkl8soL_3w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTMyMA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/95IdoZjGV5RdksjsvVtQhA--~B/aD0yMDA7dz02MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/03/cool-leaf-01-600.jpg)
It's becoming startlingly apparent that in the future buttons will be obsolete. Their kind are being systematically eradicated by high-brow designers worldwide, most recent being Kazuo Kawasaki at Minebea, who has created Cool Leaf. It's basically a mirrored surface with backlit keys and a capacitive coating, creating a beautiful appearance that looks decidedly not-fun to use, particularly that keyboard (stylishly dubbed "Φ-QWERTY"). But, it is practical in some respects, thanks to the whole thing being waterproof and easily cleaned. So these might indeed be the keyboards of the future -- for doctors and nurses, anyway.
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