Virtual Keyboard

CSTM has developed for VKB (now Lumio) the first model of the Virtual Keyboard. The preliminary prototype was realized by comprising of two laser projectors and a camera. This prototype eventually became three years later a gadget consumer electronic product, which allows to convert any flat surface into a full sized projected keyboard.

The device works by projecting a picture of a keyboard upon a flat surface (table) and detects the whereabouts of the user’s fingers using a CMOS camera.  The system was aimed to be integrated into mobile phones and PDA devices, but entered the market only as a Bluetooth accessory for mobile phones. The idea underlying the system’s development was to allow the performance of a full-sized keyboard without the need of the actual sized hardware.

The system’s operating principle is based on projection of a visible keyboard on the table from an elevated point (about 65-80mm above the table). A second projection, of a fanned  sheet of invisible IR light is projected parallel to the table from a low point just above the table (about 1.5-2.5mm). During a click event, the user’s fingers intersect the sheet of fanned light and create a flash that is detected by the CMOS camera located midway (about 35 mm above the table to enable parallax). The camera detects and maps the flashes, and relates them to finger location.