Weirdest Keyboards Ever

[Lazybones]

http://gadgets.fosfor.se/the-top-10-weirdest-keyboards-ever/



Funny thing is I have SEEN almost half of those up close.  Even a few have been at FRAG booths.

[Mr. Analog]

Those are all just wacky!

[Tonnica]

Man I'd love to have a keyboard made from the shell of a 1982 ZX Specturm. The form of it is a bit long, but I love that shiny bevelled top.



Nice link!

[Darren Dirt]

Laser Projection, I've heard of before (on this forum perhaps?) but check out this comment for all you PDA owners...



"

The virtual laser keyboard is a cool idea, but the one pictured is pretty awful. The company that makes it is actually being sued for patent infringement by Celluon, the company that owns the patent. The best (and patented) projection-laser keyboard can be found at http://www.projection-keyboard.com - I use it with my Treo 650 and it is GREAT!



Comment by marshal 3/31/2006 @ 6:39 pm

"

[Thorin]

How it works.  If we could combine the projection keyboard with a roll-up or fold-up monitor of some kind, we could start seeing some really-small-footprint-and-lightweight portables with the power of a regular laptop...

[Lazybones]

The laser unit would be best if it was integrated with your PDA/Phone so you could stand it up and not need the extra bulk of an independant standing power unit.



Really the laser keyboard unit is about the same size as MANY of the pda FOLDING keyboards, and they have keys with feedback.

[Darren Dirt]

How it works.  

re. Thorin's "how it works" link -- click the "Product Details" tab, it's actually some pretty simple physics + trig

As one of the world?s first laser projection keyboard, (U.S. Patent Nos. 6,614,422, 6,710,770, EUROPE publications: EP 1356664, EP 1336172, EP 1332488, EP1218692), the Laserkey CL800BT Executive-Version has revolutionized mobile data input. For the first time ever, users can enter SMS messages, emails and texts just as easily on the go as when using a conventional keyboard.



By means of a laser, the Laserkey CL800BT projects a full-scale keyboard equipped with a mouse feature onto any opaque, flat surface. The keystrokes are then identified based on the combined input of a sensor and an invisible infrared layer. The connection to PDA, Pocket PC, Smart Phone or PC is set up via a user-friendly Bluetooth hot plug function or via the serial port. The pocket-sized CL800BT is powered by a compact, powerful Lithium-Ion battery.





[image explaining three dimensional, visual recognition technology]





The projection laser displays the keyboard layout, measuring approx. 241 x 106 mm, onto any opaque flat surface. Keystrokes are recognized and then relayed via an invisible infrared layer combined with an optical sensor. The recognition process works as follows: When the user presses a key on the projected keyboard, the infrared layer is interrupted. This produces UV reflections that are recognized by the sensor in three dimensions, allowing the system to assign a coordinate (keyboard character).