Virtual keyboards that appear on tablets PCs using touch screens, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Apple iPad, can be a little tricky to use. They can be frustrating for people who are used to typing on physical keyboards, resting their fingers on keys like what people usually do. This results in keying in unwanted letters. And since the touch screen’s keypad is flat, it is hard to type when not looking at the screen itself.
Now, Hannes Lau and Christian Sax, two students from the University of Technology in Sydney have come up with something that will solve the problems of those who are migrating to tablets. They call their creation the LiquidKeyboard and its prototype was unveiled at the Tech23 conference in Sydney on August 23rd. The creators hope to provide an adaptive typing experience for tablets in the future.
The concept behind this is whenever the user rests his fingers on the touch screen surface, a group of keys morphs around each finger. It will then determine the position of the fingers and its relative pressure.
In the product’s video, it shows how the system works by enabling users to place all their fingers on the surface of the touch screen at once.
This new technology may not replace the iOS system keyboard soon, but it certainly shows a number of possibilities where tablet keyboards may be headed.
You can watch the product’s demonstration video here.
via: Ubergizmo
