Ever wonder what it’d be like to ditch your boring, flat keyboard and wield a literal wheel of words instead?
Google Japan just created the answer to that question. Its new Gboard Double-Sided Version, concocted as part of its annual whacky keyboard tradition, features a bespoke Mobius strip design instead of your run-of-the-mill rectangle.
It’s not for sale, but if you want to DIY your own Möbius strip keyboard of the future, there are schematics and firmware files to download for free at GitHub. Pop those into one of our picks for the best 3D printers and you have yourself a 360-degree keyboard.
And while you probably don’t have any immediate plans of taking the Gboard Double-Sided Version to space, you could if you needed to – if the (hilariously well done) accompanying YouTube video is to be believed. It’s also modeled as the perfect coding companion and a chic fashion statement when worn on your wrist for portability. Plus, future updates are expected to bring exciting advancements in computing technology, like transdimensional portal travel. Not to mention, with the over 16 million different hues available via the customizable RGB lighting, this little wheel could even be your next gaming partner, if you’re so bold as to try and tame it.
Its 208 keys might be a bit unwieldy, though. There are around 104 keys in your average keyboard, so the Mobius strip design doubles up on switches as well as languages; the Gboard Double-Sided Version has dedicated keys for both English and Japanese.
Double the keys should mean roughly double the average weight, right? Exactly – the Gboard Double-Sided Version weighs about 20.8 donuts, according to the official specs – and since everyone knows keyboards typically fall into the 10 to 12 donut range, this is right in line with what the experts at TechRadar expected to see.
It’s also interesting to learn that the keyboard is made up of 26 different modules that house eight keys each in a Double-Sided Ortholinear layout (powered by USB-C). The switches on this “keyboard” are Cherry MX compatible and hot-swappable as well, meaning you could make your Gboard Double-Sided Version feel completely different from one session to the next. While Google Japan’s latest eccentric design doesn’t have much hope of making it into our top picks for the best keyboards anytime soon, it is a fun project to marvel at, and could even make a surprisingly effective two-person controller at your next LAN party I’d wager (do people still have those?)
I love seeing these bizarre keyboard designs pop up – the Gboard Double-Sided Version instantly drew parallels in my mind to the CharaChorder One, a fascinating design that utilizes finger movements to write entire words, similar to a stenographer’s keyboard (the design also reminds me a bit of Alienware’s Pro Wireless gaming keyboard).
It’s this type of ingenuity and playful creation that we need to keep advancing in the world of computer peripherals – where would we be if we never moved on from trackballs and beige membrane keyboards? Certainly not at the Gboard Double-Sided Version.
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