Google Made a Keyboard Hat That Can Type Every Letter in the Alphabet

Some computer users take their keyboards very seriously, demanding a certain feel and sound before they can be productive. Google Japan does not. Its latest keyboard creation is a hat that looks like a single keyboard keycap. Get the pun? You can actually use it to type out the entire alphabet, but you might get very dizzy in the process.

Google Japan has a bit of a history of thinking up weird keyboard alternatives. Last year, it created the Gboard Stick, which put all the keys from a standard QWERTY keyboard into a single file, 65-inch long layout, similar to the keys on a piano. It looked neither practical nor fun to use. The year before that, it wrapped a traditional Japanese teacup in functional keyboard keys, so users could keep typing while enjoying a hot beverage. Even on paper, that one was questionable, too.

This year, Google Japan is reimagining the keyboard as a fashion accessory, and as with any daring piece of fashion, the Gboard CAPS will definitely turn heads—including the wearer's.

The Gboard CAPS can actually be pressed while worn, registering a single keystroke on a Bluetooth-connected device. But what if you want to type more than one character? The Gboard CAPS includes a six-axis inertial sensor, so that depending on what direction the wearer is facing, a different character will be registered. If you've got a long email to type, you may find yourself endlessly spinning in circles.

As with past Google Japan keyboard creations, the Gboard CAPS will not be going into production as something you can buy, despite the fact that Google once made and sold a cardboard VR viewer. Instead, fashion-forward gadget fans are encouraged to make their own from cardboard (using these plans and instructions) or with a 3D printer.

If you go the latter route, you can find all the necessary 3D models available for download for free on GitHub, as well as a shopping list for all the electronic components you'll need, instructions on how to put them all together and even a link to the software needed to make the hat function.