Google Japan unveils double-sided Möbius strip keyboard

208 hot-swappable MX switches with per-key RGB lighting

by · TechSpot

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WTF?! Google Japan has a yearly tradition of demonstrating nonsensical keyboards, but the company's 2024 design is its craziest yet. The double-sided Gboard features an unusually high number of keys in a twisted circular design that includes some features popular with gamers. The firmware and 3D printing instructions are available on GitHub.

Google Japan recently introduced a mechanical keyboard with keys covering both sides. The company patterned the design after a Möbius strip to make both sides accessible.

The new Gboard consists of 26 attached modules, each with eight keys for a total of 208 keys, more than double the number featured in most popular keyboards nowadays. The demonstration video, which loops endlessly in a nod to the layout's inspiration, shows employees orienting the 360-degree keyboard like an accordion and arranging themselves in a circle to use the keyboard. The design also makes carrying and hanging the keyboard easier.

Although no one would ever seriously use a keyboard like this, it includes multiple features common with high-end models. The MX keys are hot-swappable, and the device features per-key RGB lighting, making it somewhat resemble a Christmas decoration when in use. The downside is that it only connects to PCs through USB-C and can't be used wirelessly.

Despite its functionally useless orientation, the double-sided layout is a unique way to make space for extra keys, which could be useful for a Japanese keyboard. The Japanese language includes many more symbols than English or other languages that use Roman letters, which makes typing more complex. A 208-key keyboard might make accessing certain characters easier. Furthermore, images on Google's website indicate that the new Gboard includes keys for emojis and additional mathematical symbols.

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The Möbius strip keyboard appears significantly more ambitious than previous designs like the cup-shaped keyboard from 2021, the five-foot-long straight-line design from 2022, or 2024's keyboard hat. Curious users with experience customizing keyboards can download the firmware and 3D printing blueprints from GitHub.

This year has seen plenty of strange but useful keyboard designs. These include a small mechanical keyboard with an integrated touchscreen, an all-in-one PC stored in a keyboard that only lacks a screen, and a model with hardware-level instant key switching that Valve eventually banned from use in Counter-Strike 2.