In yet another episode of “Cool stuff the Japanese come up with”, Google Japan has once again taken a playful detour from the mundane with its latest creation: the Gboard CAPS.
While this head-mounted keyboard integrated into a baseball hat may sound like the stuff of sci-fi or the whimsical fantasies of keyboard enthusiasts, the Gboard CAPS project is real, and designed with a delightful touch of humor.
“We’re always brainstorming for better text input. As I was racking my brains for a way to make keyboards more portable and fashionable, I had an aha moment. Carrying around a keyboard was a closed-minded idea. ” said Hiroyuki Komatsu, a software engineer at Google Japan.
“That’s when we developed the wearable keyboard.”
The mechanics behind the hat
At first glance, the Gboard CAPS seems like a novelty item, designed more for amusement than practicality. However, beneath the comical exterior lies a fascinating blend of technology and creativity.
The keycap-shaped hat is equipped with a 6-axis inertial sensor that detects its positioning. Different character codes are selected depending on the angle the hat points to, as users rotate their heads from side to side.
To input a character, all you need is the “Atama Input”: giving your head a gentle pat on the cap's top, which offers 20 mm of travel. The keystrokes are then transmitted to your computer, smartphone, or other connected devices via Bluetooth.
Powered by a 3.7 V, 120 mAh battery, the head-mounted keycap can be recharged using a USB-C cable. No more iPhone jokes, I guess?
Taking hilarious absurdity even further, the Gboard CAPS even comes with optional accessories, including a chin strap aptly named "CAPS Lock" for windy days and a mesh for your eyes, should you choose to wear it to a masquerade ball.
Making CAPS your own
If you're intrigued by the idea of donning a keyboard-cap hybrid, you're in luck. Google Japan has made it possible for enthusiasts to create their very own Gboard CAPS.
While this unique accessory isn't available for purchase, Google has shared blueprints on GitHub, allowing individuals to craft their version of the hat using a 3D printer.
And if you would rather just have all its visual appeal and none of its functionality, a production guide to constructing the hat with just cardboard and scissors is provided as well. Google Japan even hints at potential future designs for the hat, catering to different occasions and styles.
In the world of tech, a sector that can often be serious and business-like, Google Japan has been a refreshing breath of goofiness.
In 2019, they devised the Gboard Spoon Bending Version, a bendable spoon with a built-in flex sensor that allows the user to choose a character code based on how much the spoon is bent.
This series of funny releases was topped last year when they released the Gboard Bar Version, a 1650 mm long (5.42 footlong subway sandwiches) single-row keyboard designed for desks with a lot of documents piled up.
Originally published on Interesting Engineering : Original article