Wearable Tap Strap keyboard now lets Windows users type in VR
Venturebeat | September 20, 2018
Tap Systems released a unique “wearable keyboard” last year, turning five connected rings and their accompanying software into a Bluetooth typing and control solution. Today, the company announced that its Tap Strap is compatible with Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive headsets, enabling users to properly type in VR.The Tap Strap rings go on one of your hands, with a larger thumb-based wireless transmitter linked by thin cabling to four finger-sized bands. When used on any surface, input from the rings is transformed into keystrokes, mouse movements, and clicks that can be used on conventional PCs or in VR environments.Tap’s approach has obvious potential utility for VR applications — particularly when a user might be walking around rather than sitting at a physical keyboard. It’s a challenge to type on a standard or virtual keyboard while wearing a VR headset, in the former case because you can’t see it, and in the latter because you can’t feel it.