Project Title
Capacitive Keyboard
Author (s)
Esme Pryor
Intentions / Background
I am proposing a keyboard that will give online conversations another dimension. One of the biggest problems with conversing online is that it is difficult to gauge the senders mood. Using capacitive sensing, I will create a keyboard that changes point size in relation to pressure. For instance, the harder you type, the larger the text and vice versa. This doesn’t have to be limited to point size; colour, typeface, letter or word spacing could also be experimented with. Besides aiding online conversation, this idea has the potential to create interesting typographical experiments.
Working Principle
Using arduino, I created a prototype (not to scale) that responds to varying levels of pressure. Using foam and copper tape I made a button prototype intended for a keyboard. When pressed lightly the two top layers touch, creating a response on the arduino bread board. When pressed harder, all three layers touch, creating a different response. It is possible to combine this with processing that will be able to change the point size of text.
Requirements / Skills
Arduino and Processing
