So, VKB demoed (and Textually and Info Week took notice) their ready-to-market virtual keyboard (starting at $199) that the company plans to have integrated in all major mobile appliances by mid-2006. Here's how it works:
"The technology uses a red laser to illuminate a virtual keyboard outline on virtually any surface. Despite its futuristic look, the laser is really just a visual guide to where to put your fingers. A separate IR illumination and sensor module invisibly tracks when and where your fingers touch the surface, translating that into keystrokes or other commands.The system does provide an audible click when a key is successfully 'pressed.'" (Info Week).
While the company sees possible applications in PDAs, medical environments and space-saving computers, the potential is overwhelmingly bigger. A new input technology, the virtual keyboard is most similar to touch-screens with its fluidity of the interface, but it's both mobile and much more scaleable and flexible. Just consider that the device doesn't have to project a keyboard; the image can be anything, from maps to text. You can use this device to draw, to write, to edit and to sign documents. You can integrate it with remote controls for some really interactive TV.
I can easily imagine a projected virtual Pong. This can easily be your next mobile ad, too.
Keywords: interactive advertising, virtual keyboard, interactive television, advertising technology, advertising.
