Virtual keyboard developed to support wearable electronics

The keyboard comprises two bracelets which are placed around the wrists or over the hands. Embedded sensors allow the bracelets to 'feel' the position of the fingertips and to determine which 'key' is touched. Meanwhile, the user would be able to see a keyboard using, for example, Google Glasses. The two units also function as a mouse and an input for gesture recognition. "Keyboards today look almost the same and work in almost the same way as 19th Century typewriters," said Lars Asplund, Professor Emeritus in Robotics at Mälardalen University. "Our virtual keyboard makes possible a completely new form of interaction and offers relative positions which may for instance decrease the risk for repetitive strain injury." Applications for the innovation include the removal of the computer screen as a barrier and use by those who want to avoid the ergonomic problems common with physical keyboards and mice. "This project has a great potential and can be completed in a year," Prof Asplund noted, "but we need additional funding to develop the hardware design, manufacture a series, and launch the product on the market."