Virtual keyboard

A virtual keyboard is a software component that allows the input of characters without the need for physical keys.

Multitouch screens allow the creation of virtual chorded keyboards for tablet computers,[7] touchscreens, touchpads, and wired gloves.

Microsoft's mobile operating system approach was to simulate a completely functional keyboard, resulting in an overloaded layout.

[19] Microsoft Windows provides the virtual keyboard through Common Text Framework service.

This behaviour is explained in Aleks Oniszczak & Scott Mackenzie's 2004 paper "A Comparison of Two Input Methods for Keypads on Mobile Devices" which first introduced haptic feedback with hysteresis on a virtual keyboard.

[25] It optically detects and analyses human hand and finger motions and interprets them as operations on a physically non-existent input device, such as a surface having painted keys.

This allows it to emulate unlimited types of manually operated input devices including mouse or keyboard.

The basic idea of a virtual keyboard in an augmented reality environment is to give the user a text input possibility.

[33] The challenge, as in augmented reality, is to give the user the possibility to enter text in a completely virtual environment.

The Vive Tracker and the Logitech G gaming keyboard track finger movement without wearing a glove.

[39] For example, Westpac's online banking service uses a virtual keyboard for password entry, as does TreasuryDirect (see picture).

[40][41] The use of an on-screen keyboard on which the user "types" with mouse clicks can increase the risk of password disclosure by shoulder surfing, because: