We've seen some novel wearable tech devices in recent years, but we have to take our hat off to Google for surprising us with its latest development. Behold, the fully functioning Google Keyboard cap.
The Gboard cap is a baseball cap that looks like a keyboard key cap and incredibly it can actually type using Gboard virtual keyboard. You can try it on and even make one yourself (see our pick of the best Apple Watch alternatives for more conventional wearables.
Google's made several forays into wearable tech. There's the Google Pixel Watch, and some may recall Google Glass. But it's latest is heads above those when it comes to thinking outside the box. The Gboard Cap can type hiragana or Roman characters based on how you move your head.
In a blog article on the invention, Google says the inspiration came from an attempt to solve the problem of wanting to carry a keyboard when one's hands are full. By tilting their head from side to side to different degrees, users can change letters, and the press the hat to input a key and thus write complete sentences. in order to type sentences. There's a “caps lock” mode that stops the cap from falling off, and Google claims it's also considering making a reversible red and white version and models with a built-in display, a smartphone case and solar power.
It's the latest wild keyboard design from Gboard, which was launched as a virtual keyboard for Android and iOS in 2016. It's become a tradition for it to share a novelty design every 1 October in tribute to the 101-key keyboard (10/1, get it?) Previous offerings have included an absurdly long keyboard with every key on a single 5.25-foot row that can also be used as a walking stick and a keyboard mug.
Developers say the Gboard Keyboard Cap is “portable” and “fashionable." You can judge the latter for yourself by trying it on in the virtual demo using your webcam. If you think the look will catch on, the design is also available on Github for anyone to make, although you’ll need to source the materials. Google also has a design document in Japanese that provides instructions for how to make the keyboard cap from cardboard.
For more serious product news from Google, see our piece on the new Google Pixel 8, or see the best prices on Google Pixel phones and watches below.
