Canesta’s laser-projected virtual keyboard isn’t even out yet, but there’s already a company taking it up a notch with holographic keypads that float in the air:
To help demonstrate his invention to potential licensees, Mr. McPheters has set up his laptop so that he can give a Powerpoint presentation without touching the computer, by punching his fingers into the air. Under his system, a holographic keypad begins with a holographic image of a real keypad, recorded by lasers on photographic film. This image is mounted on a plastic plate, which has infrared sensors behind it that can detect when the keypad is manipulated. When a light behind the plate is activated, the image appears to hover in front of it.
