Keyboard for smart clocks

With the rumors surrounding the smart meter flooding the tech world, US researchers are now trying to figure out how to allow for the entry of letters / numbers on screens that are so small.

While Apple, Google, Samsung and Microsoft are expected to be developing mobile device inheritance, engineers at Carnegie Mellon University are focusing their research on how to enter data into the screen. Small size like a clock.

ZoomBoard concept for smart display - (Photo: Carnegie Mellon University)

They say they have developed and tested a measure called 'repeatability' , which is likely to be the key to solving the problem.

Dubbed ZoomBoard , the virtual keyboard is based on the design of the QWERTY keyboard, according to NBC News.

Although the full QWERTY keyboard is incredibly small on the screen of the watch, simply tapping the screen once or twice will help enlarge them, allowing the user to type in the correct key.

Uppercase letters can be typed by long pressing on a key; The left scan will delete the text, while the right scan will create a space.

Ph.D. student Stephen Oney says the new approach extends the reach of devices such as smartphones, which lack text input tools.