We have all seen projections in sci-fi movies so it won’t be surprising if a virtual keyboard hits the market, don’t you agree?
The all new Tap Strap is somewhat like a virtual keyboard as it is basically a wearable keyboard that reads the movement of fingers to generate words. The Tap strap wearable keyboard connects to any Bluetooth enabled device and allows you to type anywhere – be it over your head or in air.
Image: Tap
Image: Tap
Wondering how it works? Well, you wear the Tap Strap keyboard like a glove on either hand – it doesn’t matter what hand it is worn on as it has the ability to turn any hand into a keyboard. All you need to do is then tap thrice with your thumb to turn it on. Similarly, in order to turn it off, you need to tap thrice with your ring finger. If you are habitual of typing with both hands then you can wear a Tap Strap keyboard on your right as well as your left hand. Once you’ve worn it, you just need to connect it to a Bluetooth enable device and type away. While talking about this invention, David Schick, creator of Tap Strap, said, “This makes it more discreet and accurate than voice input as well as faster and more precise than gesture-based system.”
Image: Tap
Image: Tap
As for the typing pattern, it is not like the traditional “QWERTY” layout that we are used to; instead there are different combinations of taps that let you type different words. There are sensors embedded into the device that monitor every moment of your fingers and convert it into text. In order to facilitate users, the Tap Strap comes with an app called ‘TapGenius’ which consists of tutorials in the form of visual and musical games so that one can easily learn different combinations. For instance, vowels can be typed by simply tapping one of the fingers such as the thumb. While the combination of two or more digits produces different outputs. Similarly, letters, punctuation, special characters and numbers can all be typed this way.
Image: Tap
Image: Tap
Kids who do not have much experience with QWERTY keyboards will easily learn how to type through Tap Strap but adults who are now experts at the traditional keyboards will have to adjust to this new typing system. Moving on, the Tap strap has a 72-hour standby time and can be used for four hours continuously. It comes in different sizes ranging from small to large and takes a total of three hours to charge completely via a micro USB.
Will this redefine the way we type? We’ll just have to wait and watch.