Concept: Illustrating the inspiration for the keyboard of the future.

Are current keyboards and mouse, or touchpads, optimized for our bodies?

The unique interface of the avatar robot OriHime.

In July 2021, I visited the Avatar Robot Cafe again to have a different group of friends experience it than the last time.

Last time:
Avatar Robot Cafe DAWN ver.β, telepresence robots will create a society where everyone can participate in social relationships.
https://f-o-i-a.blogspot.com/2021/07/telepresence-robots-will-create-a-society-where-everyone-can-participate-in-social-relationships.html

We talked with the OriHime pilot about the OriHime interface.
The OriHime interface has a "Nandeyanen" button, and when the pilot presses that button, OriHime will make a Nandeyanen gesture. 

Nandeyanen is a body language used in the Kansai region, mainly in Osaka, and is recognized throughout Japan, but is unique to Japan.

The developer, Yoshifuji Olly, is from the Kansai region, and it was humorous to create a button for this body language in a limited interface.

Not only was it humorous, but I found it reasonable that a robot interface for communication would be equipped with an interface to represent concepts common to both speakers.

Are the interfaces we use in our daily lives really optimized?

On the way back from the cafe, I asked my friend, who is also a game player, about the interfaces that game players use.

According to my friend, many game players choose from a wide range of ready-made interfaces that suit their needs.
For example, fighting game players often use an interface with a joystick, which is called an Arcade Controller in Japan.

According to my research, they also have a culture of making their own interfaces.

So what about the interface of your desktop or laptop, the keyboard and mouse or touchpad?
Many people use the keyboard and mouse or touchpad that comes with their computer.

A friend of mine says that keyboards still have room to evolve.
The current mainstream keyboard is the QWERTY keyboard, which was introduced at the end of the 1800s.
We've been using the same layout for over 120 years.

Also, in many laptops, the center position of the keyboard is off-center from the center of the monitor or touchpad.
People are forced to operate the keyboard in an uncomfortable position, which is a stressor.

Most keyboards are arranged in a flat plane, parallel to the ground.
However, considering the natural posture of human beings, a keyboard with a raised shape in the middle should be less stressful on the arms and wrists.

My friend told me that he uses a split keyboard to reduce the stress of long hours of work.

From this conversation, I imagined what the keyboard of the future would look like.

How will the keyboard and mouse or touchpad of the future evolve?

The keyboard of the future will be a mouse, or a touchpad, customizable to the size of the operator's hand, with us in a comfortable position.

When we sit down in a chair, a sensor at the end of the armrest determines the position of our hands, and a rendering device draws a keyboard in the air that matches the position of our hands.

We can operate the keyboard while sitting on a chair in a natural posture.

The keyboard of the future will not have an interface like a mouse or touchpad.

We can control the pointer on the screen by twisting our wrists left and right on the keyboard, or by pushing our fingers forward or backward.

This is an application of sensors that determine the position of our fingers.

I was inspired by previous research on touchable plasma.

In 2015, Yoichi Ochiai and his colleagues published their research on contactable graphic rendering in the air by plasma generated by a femtoseconda laser.

From this research, I came up with the idea of a future keyboard that can be typed in the air.

The plasma would feed back a moderate resistance to our fingers, so that we could get the feeling of typing on a keyboard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96fpHVMVtxE

Do we really want to sit in a chair to operate a computer?

There is also the question of whether a sitting position is the best way to operate a computer in the first place.

For example, maybe a smaller device could be attached to our wrists, allowing us to type on a keyboard in any hand position.

Hopefully, this idea will catch someone's eye and become something we can actually use.

Manga can draw the future.

I drew a concept for the keyboard of the future, inspired by a conversation I had with some friends.

I think drawing is a wonderful medium that allows us to directly express the future and communicate it to others, unlike photography or videography.

I have loved Manga since I was a child, so I would like to challenge myself to draw the future with Manga.

Next small try.

Split keyboards are available for purchase. If I try to use it, it might make my daily work more comfortable.

There are some stores in Japan that specialize in homemade keyboards. I am going to try to find the best keyboard for me.

Introducing the Custom Mechanical Keyboard by yushakobo Vol.1 (Japanese Only)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFon2AXX3mc

Reference

Avatar Robot Cafe DAWN ver.β

https://dawn2021.orylab.com/
3 Chome-8-3 Nihonbashihoncho, Chuo City, Tokyo 103-0023
https://goo.gl/maps/XnRcV3rf7jR3uWoK7

Fairy Lights in Femtoseconds

https://digitalnature.slis.tsukuba.ac.jp/2015/06/fairy-lights-in-femtoseconds/

Yusha Kobo Keyboard Specialty Shop

https://yushakobo.jp/
3 Chome-6 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0005
https://goo.gl/maps/xWJowjn6ooSedxQu7

Thanks for reading.
July 23, 2021, written by Masa - Focus on the interaction.