A team of Google engineers in Japan created a keyboard in the shape of a keycap that can be worn as a hat.
The device contains a 6-axis inertial sensor that can read the hat’s positioning.
In order to change the code one wants to type, the wearer simply turns the hat to the left and right — enabling them to shift characters.
Typing in the character then requires the wearer to press down on the hat similar to the way one punches a key on the computer keyboard.
The typing action is done with an audible click that sounds just like the real thing.
The keycap hat is connected by Bluetooth to a device such as a mobile phone or laptop.
“Aiming for the top 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. (…) That’s when we developed this wearable keyboard,” the team said in a humorous video unveiling the hat.
The Gboard CAPS project is not an officially licensed Google product, but engineers at the company’s Japan division open-sourced it by providing assembly and usage instructions on GitHub to enable anyone to construct a similar contraption on their own.
Google Japan is known for its quirky sense of humor and its willingness to create bizarre contraptions.
Last year, the division’s engineers created a 165-centimeter long keyboard in which every key was placed in the same row.
The Gboard Bar, like Gboard CAPS, has also been open-sourced so anyone can follow the instructions and create one of their own.
The Post has sought comment from Google.