Scientists at the University of Auckland in New Zealand have developed a soft, flexible, stretchable keyboard using a type of rubber known as a dielectric elastomer.
"A key benefit of our keyboard is that essentially, it's just a thin sheet of rubber. It can be wrapped around any object which turns it into a keyboard," said Daniel Xu, an author on the study.
The keyboard was made from a single laminated structure with two sensing layers oriented at 90 degrees apart. This took advantage of their mechanical coupling while at the same time still provided an electrical separation.
A total of nine different positions were distinguished within the sensor keyboard.
"It can also be made into a sensing skin for motion capture, which is useful for athletes, clinicians, and for new interactive gesture controllers," Xu added.
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The researchers often used video games to test the functionality of the keyboard, and as part of a separate project have made a sensing glove to interface with shooting games.
Work is now taking place with a spin-off company, StretchSense, to develop wearable and other technologies designed to sense stretch.
The findings were reported in the journal Smart Materials and Structures.
