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Cool Concepts – The No Key Keyboard

By Roland Hutchinson on Monday 16th June 2008 12:23 pm in Concepts

Check out this cool concept keyboard from designer Kong Fanwen.

This cool keyboard features no actual keys on the keyboard in the traditional sense, instead the keys are flat and the interface is designed to work like that of the iPhone or the Microsoft Surface PC.

The keyboard is made of glass and is completely flat, there is a built in camera which senses where you are typing and then translates this information to the computer.

This is a great concept, very stylish and would look great on anyone’s desk, I just wonder how usable it would be without any tactile feedback.

via Yanko Design

designer

the principle of inputting: When you click a key, there is a flat area between your finger and the objectâ€™s surface. The larger the area is the harder you click on the surface. So that the computer can judges whether you click or not depending on the size of the area that captured by the camera below. The flat area is small enough if you donâ€™t really want to click or there is even not that kind of area if your fingers donâ€™t touch the object. Computer can also judge which key you want to click depending on the location of the flat area
Adam Auteri

I’ve been waiting for this for 10 years at least. Mainly so you can clean it easily with glass cleaner. I tried to design one once, but I’m shot. I wonder how the flat surface would affect WPM?
http://www.scargill.org peter scargill

This is an ancient concept and not a good one. The first time I saw one of these was back in the early ’80s except it was not made of glass, it was made of resin and was capacitive. Just like the little hologram keyboard which projects an image onto a flat surface. Impervious to dirt, REALLY neat looking — but they all suffer from the same flaw… no damping.

Want to know what it’s like – simple -tap your fingers on hard worksurface for, say 10 minutes without a break – I guarantee you’ll never consider one of these. There is a reason they put bounce in keyboards – it helps protect your fingers from the shock of constantly pounding them on a surface!!
Claudia

Oh, man. That is one great invention. I want it!
benji

It’s not specifically about ‘dampening’ at all – it’s more about tactile feedback. Some kind of click, motion, almost anything will cause tactile feedback making wpm and typing much easier.
http://argle-bargle.com d

Regular keyboards work fine. Don’t fix what ain’t broke.
http://www.waynejohn.com Wayne

That’s all nice, pretty and fancy, but I agree, there’s nothing wrong with modern keyboards. I’d rather have the ‘bouncy’ keys…
Mark

Amazing! I want this!
loki

A great idea, but I don’t think it would be very comfortable. Lack of the feeling of pressing a button, tactile feedback, I suppose, would make typing kinda of awkward. I’m reminded of a guitar with frets being easier to play then one without.
Fred

I have an infra red keyboard tht projects an image of a keyboard onto your desk and can tell where your typing.
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iziff

Re to a comment made in here. Someone said the keyboard is dumb and the regular keyboard is fine. My comment that is go back to the type writer if you don’t like technology you Neanderthal. Go back to the stone age.