The hand-computer interface is one of the most challenging, as often times keyboards are cramped (e.g. typing on a smart phone) or difficult to keep clean (my lap-top keyboard). CTX Technologies demonstrated several products at CES 2014 that solves this problem by allowing any flat surface to act as a keyboard. The underlying magic to their products is LASER technology they developed that casts a virtual keyboard on the desired surface; the same LASER technology that CTX developed for micro-projectors.

Packaged in several form factors, including cases that plug into smartphones, their technology even provides audible feedback so one gets the same feeling as pecking away on keyboard. Its uses aren’t limited to the keyboard, however, as David Lithwick, CTO Technologies, demonstrates in the above video, as it could also create an unobtrusive, wall mounted keypad.