Microsoft Hardware Demos Pressure-Sensitive Keyboard

Krystalo writes to tell us that Microsoft hardware has an interesting demo of a pressure-sensitive keyboard they have designed. While there are no currently announced plans to turn this into a shipping product, there are many cool uses that one could imagine a device like this providing. "The device will be put to use in the first annual Student Innovation Contest in Victoria, Canada, where contestants will be supplied with a keyboard prototype and challenged with developing new interactions for it. Contestants will demo their creations and attendees will vote for their favorite at the conference on October 5. $2,000 prizes will be given to the authors of programs deemed as the most useful, the best implementation, and the most innovative."

Comments

Just use it like a game controller.

[ausekilis]

light pressure for lower case 'a', harder pressure for upper case 'A', and abrupt spikes in pressure for expletives "#$@^%^!".

Dammed!

[OrangeMonkey11]

Now keyboards can report abuse when I beat the shit out of it when I get pissed off

Re:Dammed!

[steelfood]

Apple has a patent on that.

Re:What could go wrong

[dr_wheel]

Rubber dome keys, keys do different things based on different pressures, extra useless features, won't be hard to type on at all.

i"M nOT sUrE WHat yoU'Re tRyInG tO sAY> CoulD yOu BE MOre SPecIFiC?

Re:Another stroke of genious from MS

[NotQuiteReal]

No, it is PRESSURE SENSITIVE. It will upcase letters when you press THEM HARD.

Re:Another stroke of genious from MS

[Tim4444]

aha! finally a keyboard that can make everything uppercase when i'm shouting at you!! i mean SHOUTING AT YOU!!!!

Re:emacs lovers' dream

[eln]

No, they would just add more features to emacs to take advantage of it.

"(light press)Meta-(hard press)Ctrl-(medium press)Shift-(hard press)C" automatically spell and grammar checks your document while giving you a light foot massage, but "(hard press)Meta-(medium press)Ctrl-(light press)Shift-(medium press)C" launches the missiles. That sort of thing.

Re:What's the point?

[Chyeld]

Quickstart guide included with your new Microsoft Natural Pressure Sensitive Bob Keyboard:

• Press escape to pull up the game menu and access the settings.
• Pound escape to rage quit.
• Throw the keyboard across the room to rage quit while spamming "HACKING ASSHOLES!" into chat

• ...

Re:Another stroke of genious from MS

[Anachragnome]

Parent was the fastest "+4 Funny" to "-0 Troll" to "fucking gone" post moderation I've ever seen on /.

What a waste of mod points.

1-key keyboard?

[Ichijo]

As you can see, the keyboard has pressure-sensitive keys, meaning each key is capable of recording pressure force, up to an 8-bit resolution.

Excellent! Keyboards from now on will need only 1 key!

Re:Aren't all keyboards pressure sensitive

[RealGrouchy]

Amazingly enough, "velocity sensitive" keyboards respond to velocity, not pressure.

I don't care if the keyboard knows whether I'm bashing it or I'm throwing it across the room, so long as it knows I'm pissed off at it!

- RG>

Re:Pleasure Sensitive

[ink]

Wouldn't that be a legitimate use of the keyboard? Would Microsoft pay $2000 for it?

gentle.. gentle.. gentle..

asdf... mmmm....

Harder! Firmer!

THERE!

HARDER! NOW! THE TILDE! THE TILDE! CARROT! YES!

Re:Another stroke of genious from MS

[marciot]

I nEEd to leArN to TyPE wiTH moRe coNSistENT preSsurE.