Google Japan’s New Gboard Conveyor Belt Keyboard Is a Wild One-Handed Typing Concept
The motorized conveyor belt loops keys directly to a resting hand to reduce typing fatigue and reach.
Summary
Google Japan unveiled a conceptual conveyor belt keyboard mimicking a factory production line
The joke prototype promotes the Gboard Android app and claims to reduce typing fatigue
Blueprints, firmware and circuit diagrams are available as an open-source GitHub project
Google Japan unveiled an unorthodox hardware concept, introducing the Gboard conveyor belt keyboard. Designed to operate like a localized factory production line right on a desk, the device reimagines traditional typing mechanics. Aesthetically, the sprawling peripheral resembles a hybrid between a standard office keyboard and a miniature fitness treadmill. According to an automated translation of the official Japanese press release, the rotating mechanism of the conveyor belt continuously loops so that the physical keys flow directly into the user’s resting hand.
A project blog post detailing the launch claims that this conveyor belt keyboard is designed for one-handed use. Rather than forcing the typist to stretch across a static board, Google claims that the design cuts down on typing fatigue. By relying on the motorized belt, the hardware allows users to wait for the correct keys to arrive directly under their fingertips rather than manually moving their hands to hunt them down.
The stunt operates as an elaborate promotional joke intended to draw viral attention to Google’s Gboard keyboard app for Android. Its release continues an annual Google Japan tradition of creating highly unusual, heavily engineered keyboard prototypes to hype the software.
Unsurprisingly, the conveyor belt keyboard is not available for purchase as a mass-market commercial product. However, for those looking to manifest the joke in the physical world, Google made the blueprints for the keyboard available as a DIY project hosted on GitHub. The open-source GitHub repository containing all project files is named mozc-devices. To ensure that anyone can construct the peripheral, the GitHub release includes all circuit diagrams required to build the DIY keyboard from scratch. Furthermore, the repository provides the proprietary firmware source code required to run and operate the device. To keep everything accessible to the public, all DIY keyboard files and software are distributed on GitHub under an Apache-2.0 license.
