This Could Be The Smartest Keyboard We Have Ever Seen

Researchers are working on a keyboard that can identify who is typing by assessing the user's typing pattern. Beside it will have the ability to convert that mechanical energy put on the keyboard into actual power. And, the keyboard cleans itself too.

The keyboard is developed by a team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of California at Riverside.

"The energy conversion is enabled by contact electrification between human fingers and keys, which converts mechanical stimuli applied to the keyboard into local electronic signals without applying an external power," explained an article detailing the science behind the keyboard.

"The energy conversion could be used to effectively harness typing motions for electricity to charge commercial electronics at arbitrary typing speeds greater than 100 characters per minute."

The keyboard can also enhance security by triggering an alarm when someone else other than you types on your system. According to researchers the keyboard has the potential to replace passwords, biometrics, and other incomplete security methods we use today.

The article added that the keyboard is covered with a special coating that repels grime, which means it will remain spiffy no matter how much you type on it.

There's no word on the commercial availability of the keyboard yet.

The related article was published in the ACS Nano.