Another neat exhibit

I just remembered another neat exhibit at the Museum of Science and Technology. There was a laser keyboard for a computer. A laser displayed the keyboard, and some sort of photo sensor detected where your fingers were typing. Now this is never going to replace mechanical keyboards, so why is it so interesting? Well there are two applications from science fiction novels that I remember. First, I remember a story where a guy is a prisoner, but has a computer built into a small pendant he is wearing. The pendant uses a laser to display the keyboard and a holograph to display the screen. Second, one of the stories we often come across is a spaceship that takes a multi-generation journey to a different star. One of the difficulties is designing a spaceship that will last for several generations. Now a regular keyboard might only last for 5 years, but perhaps a laser keyboard would last for several generations. Anyway, it was neat.