Dubbed the “human-machine interfacing” device, the keyboard was reported in the American Chemical Society’s academic journal “Nano.”

If it works it could provide a foolproof way to prevent unauthorised users from gaining direct access to computers and stop the return key being clogged with navel fluff.

Enabled by a system of “contact electrification,” the keyboard senses typing patterns, the level of pressure applied to keys and speed - and it is accurate enough to distinguish one individual user from another.

The keyboard harnesses energy generated from all that typing to either power itself or another small device.  This means that you have to keep working or your keyboard will not work, so after a holiday both you and your keyboard might be sluggish.

 “Conventional security measures such as personal identification numbers, tokens, or passwords can provide only limited protection, since they themselves are subject to illegitimate activities,” the research team wrote.

“Based on contact electrification, which is ubiquitous but underexplored, between human fingers and keys, the intelligent keyboard (IKB) converts typing motions on the keyboard into locally electric signals that can be harnessed for either touch-sensing or energy-harvesting purposes. Most significantly, the IKB allows a direct identification of personality in data input using the dynamic electronic signals generated when striking keys,” the article stated.

The scientists anticipate their device can be potentially applied “not only to self-powered electronics but also to artificial intelligence, cyber security, and computer or network access control.”