Making a Keyboard with Mutating Keycaps?

Montreal Geek asks: "I'm currently working on a pet project of mine for which I now find myself with the financial resources to bring to completion: the International Keyboard from Heck. The basic idea (most of the electronics and software for it have already been written) is that the keyboard has a variable layout (and a nice interface to change that layout) with the actual images on the keycaps changing to match what glyph/code-point it will generate. My problem is that I am unsure of which hardware solution to use for the actual, physical keycaps. My original prototype keycap uses a 7x9 array of leds under a lexan surface, but the power requirements of this many leds on a whole keyboard (even when scanning) is a tad prohibitive, and the lexan doesn't feel very good under a finger. Although glowing red keycaps look cool at first, I'm a bit worried that they will end up overly aggressive and annoying in the long run. Can you think of better alternatives? Keep in mind that the design must be resistant to repeated impacts (it is a keyboard after all) and, preferably, have fairly low power consumption so that the device remains practical for laptops." Although a few years from being truly affordable, might OLED technology be appropriate for this project? What other ideas might work out well for such a piece of hardware?

Comments

Gosh

[Anonymous Coward]

What a waste of time and effort, much like the basement-clean-room moron.

What kind of computer needs to switch layout so often that this is worth it? Why not just buy another keyboard and a good keyboard switch box?
The mutant keyboard will probably be so expensive and failure prone, I don't see it working at all.

Good grief, what's next, a microprocessor controlled carbon fiber fly swatter?

What's wrong with a touch screen and a CRT?

It's people like the OP that make me ill and make me start to hate technology.