Magnetic keys: light and tactile

  • 20 g breakaway

    Nothing moves until about 20 g, then the force falls away.

  • About 90% less movement

    Four keys sit right beside each fingertip.

  • About 90% less work

    Per key press, against a typical key switch.

  • No springs, no lube

    Magnets hold each key and snap it back.

Small movements in every direction

Press down or move toward a nearby key. Adjust the cluster so the keys sit close to your relaxed fingertip.

Look inside a Svalboard key cluster to see how keys drop in and activate.

Magnets provide the feel

  1. At rest

    Magnets hold the key in position.

  2. As you press

    The magnetic hold releases. A small flag moves through an optical sensor, which detects the press.

  3. As you release

    Magnetic attraction returns the key to rest.

The whole press matters

The force needed to start a press tells only part of the story. What happens afterward matters too. Svalboard's resistance drops after breakaway, reducing the force you sustain through the stroke.

Illustrative force profiles of a single key press.

Keys fitted to you

Every Svalboard ships with fingertip key sizes customized to its owner.

A Svalboard sample cluster from the side

Feel it for yourself

A sample cluster puts the magnetic mechanism in your hand.

Try a sample cluster