Battery-Free Wireless Keyboard
Overview
A wireless keyboard powered by keystrokes. Each press converts mechanical energy into electrical energy to transmit signals, eliminating charging and battery replacement. Stable per-keystroke transmission improves reliability and user experience while reducing cost and battery waste.
Commercialisation opportunities
Exclusive/non-exclusive licensing; co-development with keyboard, peripheral, and HMI manufacturers.
Problem addressed
Conventional wireless keyboards depend on batteries, creating replacement and recycling burdens and generating waste. In special-use scenarios—healthcare, industrial control, fieldwork, or long unattended operation—charging or battery depletion can cause interruptions and unstable performance, reducing reliability when consistent input is critical.
Innovation
- Converts keystroke mechanical energy into electrical energy to power wireless signal transmission.
- Mechanical potential-energy pre-charging and power management enable stable, efficient energy delivery for every key press.
- Operates without batteries or external charging and does not rely on solar or RF power harvesting, improving consistency in diverse settings.
Key impact
- Zero batteries reduce maintenance and downtime, lowering recurring cost and improving convenience.
- Lower latency and more stable performance than solar- and RF-driven keyboard solutions.
- Reduced battery waste supports a more sustainable device lifecycle.
- Instant per-keystroke energy supply improves reliability and input consistency.
Award
- 50th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva: Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Application
- Office and home wireless keyboards.
- Public terminals and shared workspaces.
- Low-power HMIs and wireless controllers.
Patent
- PCT international application: PCT/CN2025/072201
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Founded in 1963, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a forward-looking comprehensive research university with a global vision and a mission to combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West. CUHK teachers and students hail from all around the world. Four Nobel laureates are associated with the university, and it is the only tertiary institution in Hong Kong with recipients of the Nobel Prize, Turing Award, Fields Medal and Veblen Prize sitting as faculty in residence. CUHK graduates are connected worldwide through an extensive alumni network. CUHK undertakes a wide range of research programmes in many subject areas, and strives to provide scope for all academic staff to undertake consultancy and collaborative projects with industry.
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