Google Japan shows off conveyor-belt keyboard with keys that move to fingers
tomshardware.comThis must be one of those Japanese "quirky-fun, but useless inventions" things (chindogu). You know, like the toilet paper holder you strap to your head so you're never without a roll, or the vise you use to press two or more well-worn bars of soap together into a single, bigger bar.
In terms of design it reminds me of that bit of Animusic's "Pipe Dream" where xylophone bars of the appropriate pitch travel on a rail just in time to be struck by ball bearings from a stationary launcher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmoUSSVSV7I&t=2m12s
I love Google Japan’s annual[1] tradition of releasing wild/wacky keyboard designs.
[1] Sidenote: anyone know if there’s a specific significance to September 30 or October 1 in Japan à la April Fools’ Day?
Google banned April 1st jokes in 2020. October 1st is as far away as you can get on the calendar from April 1st.
I'd like to think that the Japan office was allowed to keep doing it because they are just so good at it.
There were a lot of good Googe April Fool's jokes, but way too many confusing/weird/lame ones: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Google_April_Fools%27_...
This one from Google Netherlands is my favourite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSZPNwZex9s
(Gosh, it's been a decade already.)
Welp, (part) answered my own question:
Translated from Japanese from the announcement^:
Q. Today is October 1st, isn't it?
A. Yes, today is October 1st!
Q. What is the significance of today?
A. When we were considering the perfect day to announce the keyboard, we noticed the widespread use of the "101-key keyboard"—a type featuring 101 keys. So, we decided to launch it on October 1st as a nod to that standard.
^ https://blog.google/intl/ja-jp/products/android-chrome-play/...
The article claims 10.1 is a reference to a 101 keyboard by IBM.
10-1 represents the 101 key layout of the Model M. It's unique to this lab.
And to make your own: https://github.com/google/mozc-devices/tree/main/mozc-convey...
Wow, they have several other input devices: https://github.com/google/mozc-devices
Geez, apparently there's still a corner of Google where the people are getting paid (presumably) to goof off...
As someone who almost never looks at the keyboard while typing, I find it's a regression since you have to wait and look at the keyboard to type. More than that, having to keep the hand in this position will most likely give you cramps.
Maybe I misunderstood the concept from the video, but I don't find it appealing.
It sounds like you're under the impression it's meant to be a real product rather than a joke
Yup, definitively. Thanks for opening my eyes.
And I here like a moron using _layers_ in my corne with blank caps. Definitely gonna try to mod this to support at least two real layers per keyboard side.
I was curious about the history of these fancy custom split mechanical keyboards.
If I understand correctly.. the ergodox was the first popular open source keyboard (or maybe the first split one).
But it was the Helix keyboard, and then the Corne which built upon that design, which lead to an explosion in popularity of these split keyboards for makers. Both of these were designed in Japan.
Hey I didn't know that. The original design was from Makoto Kurauchi. There's soooo many variants now it's hard to know where all started.
There's no speech-to-text in Japanese apparently.
This is hn where irony does not exist. Someone will take your comment literally and correct you.
That posture looks painfully uncomfortable for the wrist.