NEC Corp. said Thursday that it has created a user interface which can display an augmented-reality keyboard on a person's forearm, using eyeglasses and a smart watch.

The ARmKeypad uses glasses to provide a view of the keys and detect the finger movements, while the watch can sense the timing of keystrokes and alter keyboard displays, the company said.

The device can make it feel like the user “is wearing a keyboard or input buttons” on his or her forearm without actually carrying one, the company said in a statement. An illustration of the augmented-reality keyboard by NEC Corp. Illustration: NEC Corp. NEC said the keyboard offers an advantage over other wearable devices that are operated via voice recognition, since they can't be used in loud environments. It also doesn't require the user to carry a controller or a hardware keyboard for data input. The ARmKeypad can come in handy, for example, for warehouse managers and maintenance service workers since they won’t have to carry around a physical device. It could also be used by medical personnel and those who need to use both hands during their work, the company said. NEC said it will improve the features of the ARmKeypad and aim to commercialize it sometime in 2016. The price hasn’t been set, an employee told Japan Real Time.

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