It’s days like these I wake up on a desolate beach and peel no less than 14 jellyfish off my face. It’s enough to inspire one to make electronic devices out of their soft, fleshy bodies that float around you and sting people as you enter a room.
Erik Campbell actually has a better idea though. He takes a keyset concept developed by Douglas Engelbart and gives it his own flavor of jellyfish-inspired beauty. It’s the Optical Keyboard Keyset and Erik was kind enough to give us the bullet point list on the specifics.
First, to understand what this is exactly,
A keyset or chorded keyboard (also called a chorded keyset, chord keyboard or chording keyboard) is a computer input device that allows the user to enter characters or commands formed by pressing several keys together, like playing a “chord” on a piano. The large number of combinations available from a small number of keys allows text or commands to be entered with one hand, leaving the other hand free. – Wikipedia
Free for punching the screen that is… or shoveling raw jellyfish into your mouth, which is what the modern designer and engineer is all about. Here’s what Erik had to say about the concept…
- Modeled in Solidworks
- Rendered in Hypershot
- Inspired by beached jellyfish. (Noticed jellyfish while jogging on the shore in Santa Barbara.)
- No 3D prototype used at this time. Only virtual CAD model.
- Biggest challenge: coming up with a fresh solution that is new, effortless for the user, and inspiring to a tech hungry world.
- I wanted to create a device that someones hand could wrest naturally on top of with little to no digital stress while in use.
And, here’s an example of another type of keyset device. Ready to replace your keyboard? Or go with a triple foot switch?
