In Pictures: 12 cool, creative and just plain weird gadget concepts

Floating peripherals: TransluSense ClearTouch keyboard and mouse

Made from tempered glass set atop a brushed aluminum base, the striking ClearTouch keyboard and mouse appear to float above the desktop. Aerospace engineer Jason Giddings designed the translucent peripherals with no moving parts, like individual keys or mouse actuation buttons.

Rather than using touchscreens, the devices are based on frustrated total internal reflection technology, which sends pulses of infrared light through the glass. Each device has a tiny camera that picks up the signal when a key or button is touched and translates it into the desired action.

The Kickstarter-funded project is currently constructing an assembly factory to build and sell these unique computer accessories. In other words, they could be heading to a desktop near you.