Keyboard Design Turns Over A New Leaf

Beautiful, flat-screen computer monitors add elegance and class to the workplace or office. But that all disappears when its ugly sister, the keyboard, is sitting there with a sea of hairs and crumbs stuck between its keys.

Finally, someone has decided to do something about that blocky beast.

Minebea Co., Ltd., out of Japan, has developed the next generation of keyboard. It’s entirely flat, containing only backlights so it can be seen in the dark. Minebea calls the line — which also includes TV remotes and calculators — Cool Leaf.

While the sophisticated look of the keyboard is the first appeal, the substance is that it’s very easy to clean. That means on top of always looking great, the keyboard can always be hygienic. And it won’t involve a full-day project that expends dozens of Q-tips and your back as you bend over the keyboard all day. 

The casual consumer is targeted for this product, but the keyboard is especially brilliant when it comes to places that need sterile environments, like hospitals. The Cool Leaf line was actually designed by a doctor of medical science, Kazuo Kawasaki.

It could just be really hard to step away from the feel of the conventional keyboard. Something about the button-pressing (what’s with humans and loving to push things?) and the quick pitter-patter sound it creates is very addicting.

— Josh Bailie