Targus, Atmosic Partner on an Energy-Harvesting Sustainable Bluetooth Keyboard

Targus has announced a partnership with Atmosic Technologies to launch a new sustainable wireless keyboard, driven entirely through harvested energy — expanding its EcoSmart collection to computer peripherals.

"Our new EcoSmart tech accessories are designed from the ground up to embody sustainability, while providing superior ergonomic and user-friendly benefits that are important to today's consumers," claims Targus' Mike Sexton. "What makes these products so innovative is that they are premium tech accessories designed for power users that simultaneously deliver on sustainability."

While some of that sustainability comes from the materials used — post-consumer recycled plastics feature in the keyboard's construction, and it's packaged in sustainable materials too — a big chunk comes from the power source. Rather than relying on occasional wired charging, the company's Energy Harvesting EcoSmart Keyboard relies entirely on capturing ambient light.

Small photovoltaic cells on the keyboard's upper surface, tuned for indoor lighting, charge an internal battery — while an ultra-low power Bluetooth system-on-chip (SoC), the Atmosic ATM3, provides connectivity with a claimed three- to four-times boost to power efficiency over rival wireless keyboards.

Targus has used the same chip in its Sustainable Ergonomic EcoSmart keyboard, which uses a curved and split layout, and in its Ambidextrous EcoSmart Mouse — but while the two other peripherals share the power-efficient technology and sustainable materials, they lack energy harvesting capabilities and require recharging via cable.

Targus is showing off the new EcoSmart collection at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, with the energy-harvesting keyboard due to launch in February at $119.99; the ergonomic keyboard and the mouse will follow in March or April at $119.99 and $59.99 respectively, the company says.