If you’re weary of typing on the same old keyboard, you’ll flip out over the new concept keyboard from Google Japan(which opens in a new tab). The startup has released a stick-shaped keyboard called the GBoard (which opens in a new tab), which looks like a long ruler.
Even the domain name suggests that this is all an elaborate joke. However, Google Japan collaborated on the keyboard’s development, so we’ll let you be the judge of that.
If you have access to a 3D printer, you may manufacture and customize your own version of the GBoard stick keyboard. The keys are all in one long row instead of the usual two. The length of the keyboard is 1,650 mm, or around 65 inches. The height is a “pleasant thickness,” while the width is “large enough for a cat to stroll over,” at least in the eyes of Google Japan. When balanced on both ends, it can hold “three t-shirts.”
Google Japan says the design of the keyboard is justified since users have to search in two different places to find the key they need (up and down and left and right). The keys on the GBoard stick version keyboard are all in a neat row, making it easy to find what you need with a single glance.
The ergonomics of the keyboard were also discussed by Google Japan. The act of typing on a computer keyboard, for instance, causes users to unconsciously extend their arms and legs. Google Japan demonstrated a scenario in which two individuals may use a single keyboard to play a piano duet. It has potential as a useful tool for pair programmers.
The QWERTY layout is used for the keyboard. In any case, because it’s a do-it-yourself project, you may change the layout to ASCII code or, if you’re the expressive kind, program each key to an emoji. In its most basic form, Google Japan’s creation is a keyboard.
The GBoard stick version keyboard may be used for a variety of purposes outside typing, such as a ruler, balance pole, scraper for objects hidden under furniture, and critter catcher. If you want to spend time outside, the keyboard can double as a walking stick.
This keyboard design is a significant improvement over previous iterations. However, Google Japan is thinking of making a GBoard stick version keyboard for gamers with seven-color backlighting.
There are currently no plans for the keyboard’s distribution by Google Japan. Instead, the business has taken an open-source approach to design by publishing the schematics, PCB layouts, and firmware on Github (opens in a new tab).
