Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 has already seen a host of product launches and innovative concept devices. Lenovo, too, has showcased a lineup of new ThinkBook laptops, ThinkCentre neo desktops, and other products at the event. The manufacturer’s CES slate also includes a proof-of-concept mechanical energy harvesting keyboard and mouse combo. Lenovo’s new keyboard and mouse concept do not require traditional external charging to work and instead rely on mechanical movement to generate power.
The Mechanical Energy Harvesting Combo, showcased at CES, is ergonomically designed keyboard and mouse combination that runs on manually generated mechanical energy. The proof-of-concept devices can also utilise solar irradiation to function, thus eliminating the need for an external charger, Lenovo claims.
Lenovo’s concept keyboard has 68-keys, is wireless, supports RGB lighting, and can be seen in a metallic grey colourway. They keyboard comes with a horizontal strip of solar panel on its topside, which can charge the keyboard under bright lighting conditions. Additionally, the keyboard includes a large circular dial on the top left, which reportedly is utilised to transform kinetic energy into battery charge for the device. According to a PC Mag report, the dial can be spun to generate power for the keyboard. Lenovo claims that about five minutes of spinning the dial can should get users about 30 minutes battery usage for the keyboard. The concept keyboard also comes with a USB Type-C port for wired connection.
The mouse, on the other hand, reportedly comes with a ring-shaped crank at the bottom that can be pulled up and wound to provide charge to the device’s battery. One minute of winding should get users about 30 minutes of charge, Lenovo claims.
The mechanical energy keyboard and mouse combo also support both Bluetooth and 2.4G wireless connection. Lenovo has not provided any additional specifications for the devices. As both the keyboard and mouse are proof-of-concept devices, we might not see them hit the market.
In addition to the concept keyboard and mouse, Lenovo announced its new lineup of ThinkBook laptops, ThinkCentre desktops, accessories, and AI PC enhancements at CES this week. The company unveiled its ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 laptop, which comes with a dedicated Microsoft Copilot key. Additionally, the company also introduced the Lenovo Tab M11 at the ongoing tech showcase event. Shipping with Android 13 onboard, the Tab M11 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 chipset and packs a 7,040mAh battery. The tablet will be available for purchase initially in the US, starting April.
