If computer keyboards had an issue the past few years is that you could never use them to kill spiders on the ceiling or have a duel at the office. That’s no longer an obstacle thanks to Google Japan, which showed off its five-foot-long Gboard keyboard. Ergonomics be damned.
The new Gboard QWERTY bar places keys in a line as wide as a single key and as long as your average child is tall.
“Until now we have only focused on the ‘key’ in the keyboard,” explains the tongue-in-cheek video. “We reached a phase where we should look at what’s next to the key.”
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The video claims such a keyboard is ideal for cluttered desks, easy to clean with one long swipe of a brush, and that its narrow frame means you won’t have to worry about the keyboard being stepped on by cats. Since it’s so long, you can double your efficiency and type along with a friend like those two-seat bicycles no one uses.
Tired of hunting for a particular letter like Indiana Jones? A problem no more.
“With this keyboard, it is very convenient to know immediately that the 16th letter from the left is G,” the creators explain.
The quasi-release is part of Google Japan’s ongoing series of silly keyboards, including one that involved bending a spoon.
For those looking to commit to the bit, Google Japan has posted the technical specifications to a Github page so anyone with a 3D printer can declutter their desk in style or poke that wiffle ball out of their gutters. But your old typing class teacher might not approve.
