Provided by:
kbd_1.12-19ubuntu2_i386 
NAME
kbd_mode - report or set the keyboard mode
SYNOPSIS
kbd_mode [ -a | -u | -k | -s ]
DESCRIPTION
Without argument, kbd_mode prints the current keyboard mode (RAW,
MEDIUMRAW or XLATE). With argument, it sets the keyboard mode as
indicated:
-s: scancode mode (RAW),
-k: keycode mode (MEDIUMRAW),
-a: ASCII mode (XLATE),
-u: UTF-8 mode (UNICODE).
Of course the "-a" is only traditional, and the code used can be any
8-bit character set. With "-u" a 16-bit character set is expected, and
these chars are transmitted to the kernel as 1, 2, or 3 bytes
(following the UTF-8 coding). In these latter two modes the key
mapping defined by loadkeys(1) is used.
Warning: changing the keyboard mode, other than between ASCII and
Unicode, will probably make your keyboard unusable. This command is
only meant for use (say via remote login) when some program left your
keyboard in the wrong state. Note that in some obsolete versions of
this program the "-u" option was a synonym for "-s".
SEE ALSO
loadkeys(1)
6 Apr 1994 KBD_MODE(1)