Invisible Keyboards

I've always been fascinated with the idea of 'invisible keyboards' or the idea of getting rid of the physical keyboard. Examples of this can already be seen in smart phones and tablets where the keyboard only appears as you need it on the touch screen. But this can be clunky and not ideal because of the small size. Also you kind of lose that instant response that you can only get when you hit the keys on a physical keyboard. On a touch screen, unless it vibrated as you hit the keys, you can't tell that you've successfully hit them without keeping your eyes on the screen so you can't effectively touch type.

Technology is heading towards a time where physical keyboards are no longer needed, where you may no longer have a keyboard on your desk, but rather the desk itself would be a touch screen with a keyboard displayed on it.

Celluon have actually developed the 'Magic Cube' & 'evoMouse' which are peripherals for smart phones and tablets that projects a laser keyboard on a surface that can be interacted with. I also recently came across this concept video that explores the same functionality inside an iphone.

It's a very interesting area to explore, ideally it would be great to have a projected keyboard that didn't even require a surface and is more like an interactive hologram that you could also feel as you pressed it. I wouldn't be surprised if this happened in our lifetime, nothing really surprises me any more, I see so many new things pop up everyday. It's an exciting time to be alive!

Watch the concept clip by Aatma studio
Check out the Celluon evoMouse clip
Check out the Celluon Magic Cube clip
Also check out this amazing impromptu soundboard, which operates on a keyboard that's drawn on paper