I'm not sure if this has been proposed before, but why hasn't anyone built a fully modular keyboard?
My proposal is to basically have a core 87-key tenkeyless center module. On either left or right of this module are attachments, where modules can be clipped on and communicate to the main 87-key module. There could be many different kinds of addable modules, like a numeric keypad, media controls, side function keys, programmable keys of all sorts, trackballs, LCDs, etc. The attachments themselves also carry electrical connections to prevent a cable mess. The keyboard should be designed in such a way that modules can be clipped onto either side of the 87-key center module, so for example, for some reason you would want a numeric keypad to the left of the alphanumeric section, you could. The modules could have further attachment points on them so you could build a "train" of modules to either sides of the keyboard, e.g. you could have an 87-key center module, then clip a numeric keypad on the left side of it, and then also include media keys to the left of that, and then perhaps a USB hub to the left of that to top it off. And provide a point on the numpad to attach a trackball aobve it, etc. Kinda like the International Space Station I guess.
I guess the keyboard would have to be USB only (there goes NKRO) as I doubt PS/2 can allow such a thing.
Thoughts?
