Soft, flexible, stretchable rubber keyboard invented

MELBOURNE (Web Desk) - Scientists have developed a soft, flexible and stretchable keyboard which can be wrapped around any object.

Daniel Xu, from the University of Auckland in New Zealand said," Imagine a world where you drop something, and it bounces back without any damage. That's the benefit of these rubber devices that can flex and stretch."

The keyboard has been 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.

"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 Xu.

"It can also be made into a sensing skin for motion capture, which is useful for athletes, clinicians, and for new interactive gesture controllers," he said.