London: Scientists at the University of Auckland in New Zealand have developed a soft, flexible, stretchable keyboard using a type of rubber known as a dielectric elastomer.

"A key benefit of our keyboard is that essentially, it's just a thin sheet of rubber.

It can be wrapped around any object which turns it into a keyboard," said Daniel Xu, an author on the study.

The keyboard was made from a single laminated structure with two sensing layers oriented at 90 degrees apart.

This took advantage of their mechanical coupling while at the same time still provided an electrical separation.

A total of nine different positions were distinguished within the sensor keyboard.

"It can also be made into a sensing skin for motion capture, which is useful for athletes, clinicians, and for new interactive gesture controllers," Xu added.