If there’s one computer peripheral that hasn’t seen much innovation in recent years, it’s the keyboard. Besides the additional buttons and pointer technology integrations, the keyboard has been pretty much the same. You have some keys with letters (or symbols) printed on it, and you just memorize shortcuts based on what software application you’re using. After all, what more can you ask, the computer keyboard is pretty much a done technology. Or is it? Enter art Lebedev’s Optimus Maximus keyboard.

Initially dubbed simply as the Optimus keyboard, the Optimus Maximus created an instant cult following among geeks and hardware enthusiasts. What sets this keyboard apart from the rest is that each key contains an OLED (organic LED) display that shows the current function of that key based on context. What it offers is a universal keyboard using slick display technology. When you have the CAPS lock key on, the keyboard shows only the upper case characters. The keys will also display the corresponding characters based on your operating system’s language settings. And it currently supports Windows and Mac OS X. The keyboard display sports a 48 x 48 pixel resolution and 65,536 colors. A feature of the keyboard is a row of special function keys on the left where you can map to specific applications, display source, or web applications, and naturally, that key will display the corresponding application icon or logo. The Optimus Maximus keyboard comes with a Configurator software that allows the programming of every button of the keyboard. It connects to your system through USB and it also acts as a usb hub with two usb slots and an SD Card reader. The Optimus Maximus is the ultimate techie dream keyboard.