A bonkers new augmented reality keyboard, which uses Google Glass-style eyewear to enable users to control their smartwatches, has been shown off by NEC in Japan.
ARmKeypad pairs AR specs with a smartwatch, and 'projects' the keyboard over the wearer's arm. The glasses will then detect the augmented button being pressed and register that as an input on the watch.
Coming out of NEC it's unsurprisingly being touted for factory workers but there are obvious consumer benefits. No company has really cracked the concept of wearable technology inputs and how to interact with the small form factors in a meaningful way.
Last week we reported on the TouchOne Keyboard new T9 input for smartwatches and back in October we revealed Keybod a different kind of keyboard that takes over your whole body. There are some crazy concepts out there already, so don't think that NEC's augmented reality version is any more far-fetched.
The ARmKeypad was reported in Motherboard's Cool Japan column, and reports that NEC "is set to release the ARmKeypad in 2016 to industry workers."
If there's one salient point to leave the ARmKeypad on it's the amazing getup sported by NEC's model. It's nearly identical to that of the Fujitsu Smart Ring man from 2014, a device that enables you to write in the air. What does it mean? More wearable inputs and crazy helmets from Japan please.
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James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.