Google Announces Gboard Kurukuru Version Keyboard With Keys On Moving Belts
Google's PR told ASCII.jp the October 1 date was chosen because 101 looks like October 1, matching the 101-key US layout, and that the team moved off April 1 because it realized it was not actually telling a lie.
Key Facts
- Google announced the Gboard Kurukuru Version on October 1, 2026.
- Each conveyor belt on the Gboard Kurukuru Version holds 29 keys, and uppercase and lowercase letters can be typed directly.
- Google's design data and firmware for the Gboard Kurukuru Version are released free on GitHub.
- The Gboard Kurukuru Version is the 15th entry in Google's annual new keyboard proposals, a series that began with the Google Japanese Input Drum Version in 2010.
- Google's High-Speed Mode for the Gboard Kurukuru Version flows keys at higher speed, and Voice Guide Mode reads the flowing characters aloud.
Reporting from 2 sources: ASCII.jp, Automaton.
Google announced the Gboard Kurukuru Version on October 1, a keyboard with keys arranged in four rows on conveyor belts that carry characters to the user's hands. Software engineer Megumi Yamada said rotating character stamps inspired the design, and the blueprints are released free on GitHub. Each belt holds 29 keys, and uppercase and lowercase letters can be typed directly. Because the keys move, users can type without shifting their arms or palms much, and can input with one hand or a single finger. Two additional modes are planned: a High-Speed Mode where keys flow faster, which Google says can train dynamic visual acuity, and a Voice Guide Mode that reads the flowing characters aloud so users can input without looking at the keys. The project is the 15th in Google's annual new keyboard proposals, a series that began with the Google Japanese Input Drum Version in 2010 and continued last year with the Gboard Dial Version.
The series started as an April Fools' project, but the Gboard team no longer ties it to April 1. ASCII.jp asked Google's public relations about the timing and was told the date references the 101 keyboard, a widely used PC layout, since 101 can be read as October 1. After the project was once suspended in 2020, the team looked for a date suited to a keyboard announcement and settled on this one. The recurring joke has practical output: the designs are not sold, but their design data and firmware are released free on GitHub, so the hardware can be built. The Kurukuru Version also lists uses beyond typing. A stick turns it into a guiro, and cardboard key tops make it usable for nail care, according to Automaton. A conveyor belt of characters is harder to assemble than it sounds, and the sources describe completing one as difficult.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.