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Build A Custom-Fit One-hand Keyboard
EyesWideOpen writes: "The New York Times (free reg. req.) has an article about a guy who has invented a one-hand keyboard that really isn't a board at all. The 'Stealthy Keyboard', which is in the prototype development stage, is designed to fit in the palm of the hand and uses the fingertips, the middle of the fingers and combinations of those to generate characters. More information (white paper, downloadable engineering plans, photos, etc.) can be found on this website." Inventor John McKown adds "The kit includes (open) source for the firmware. The code is for a PS/2 port but a USB version is slowly progressing."
[Insert One Handed Typing Joke Here]
Now I just need two mice for my feet and I can deathmatch myself.
Give it a look
Now if someone would only invent a one-handed mouse...
Hmmm. I guess he never heard of Doug Engelbart. (Inventor of the "chord" keyboard, along with the mouse.)
Look at the shape of the "keyboard". Cylindrical, held in the hand with a loose comfortable grip. All a savvy inventor needs to do is drill a hole through the center and hey... you can type, mouse AND, um, entertain yourself at the same time.
Like we've never seen one of those before.
So, why exactly is this different than other types?
That was the first thought I had as well.
I wonder if building some kind of wrist restraint into it would help.
I don't know much about carpal tunnel but I've seen people w/it wearing braces around their wrists. It seems like it would be easy to incorporate that right into this thing.
Would that help?
.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
Then again, there is the Dvorak keyboard layout. I wonder how the speed typing one-handed with Dvorak compares to typing on this gadget?
Mike.
Mmmm......sacrelicious.
I know gaming is probably one of the last things a keyboard designer should consider, but in this case it poses an interesting question: how hard is it to press multiple keys at once? I guess this applies outside of gaming as well. If you use both the middle of fingers as well as the tips, is it easy to press them both? I know for my gaming I need about 15 easily accessible keys. With 5 keys, and all combinations of those you get quite a few more than 15 keys, but I dont want to have to stop running forward while I switch weapons. :)
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. --Winston Churchill
Actually, I liked the changing holographic interface the main character in Final Fantasy was using towards the beginning. It seemed well-suited for the applications -- it provided a simple, useful one-handed interface that went completely away when you were done using it.
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
Just another device to distract drivers here in LA. I can just see it now: driving your SUV down the 405, talking on your cellphone, drinking your Starbucks, watching a DVD, and writing an email.
The joke here is that this was posted under the 'hardware' section. Heh.
this just in... another "go-grammer" was hit and killed today as he walked onto highway 44, 27 miles his home. he was found wearing only boxers and a cheerio-stained ThinkGeek t-shirt, and possessed the tell-tale single large forearm. according to drivers, he shuffled like a zombie with a far-away look in his eye, and seemed to be yelling something about "overflows".
the last information typed into his portable computer read: "oh shi#!#$%%%%%%%%"
It's only a model.
Sounds really good to me. Sure - you'd have to learn how to use it, but thats no big deal. I learned how to message pretty fast on my cell phone so I'm sure learning the key "chores" he talked about wont be to hard. Sounds like a good application for Bluetooth. You have the thing with you at all times and can use it to input text into your PDA, phone, Laptop or machine at home. And two years later that guy can release version 2 of his keyboard with built in wristwatch...
Hank! White!
at all. We did this in one of our labs with the self-titled cyborg, Dr.Steve Mann, at University of Toronto. It was lab 5... you can see for yourself. The class websites are at....
http://eyetap.org/ece385/
http://wearcam.org/ece385/
if you know a little about device drivers, then this isn't very hard...
This is left as an exercise for the reader.
I'll just hide it in my pocket, and I can stand there quickly typing out covert reports on events, movies, or whatever wherever I am!
Uhh... On second thoughts...
Ali
Ph33r m3!!!
This is a fine example of why patents are often a tremendous resource to the technical community. Go download the patent from the USPTO and you'll find the blueprint on how to build one of these yourself.
Patents are in a way the source code for an invention. By law, they must be detailed enough to allow one skilled in the arts to reproduce the invention. Without patents, inventors would be forced to hid the details of the implementation of their invention (or even the entire invention) from others. With a patent we can have all the details on how an invention works and the inventor can still be protected if he or she wishes to sell the invention. Remember, a patent doesn't prevent you from building something as long as you don't do it for profit.
Why the slasdot community is so hostile towards patents in principle I shall never understand. Sure, in practice there have some screwy patents issued that shouldn't have been, but in general patents spread rather than restrict knowledge.
There actually is something "new" about this. Quoting from the article:
"It's hard to type with fingers that must grip something at the same time. That's why the only portable one-hander you can buy at present, as far as I know, has a big, ugly, wrist strap . Another reason is that the fingers are never far from their relaxed positions. They don't have to curl tightly, which quickly becomes tiring. This keyboard is small enough to be mostly hidden by the hand so it's not so geeky. Since there's no strap, it can go in and out of a pocket quickly. When you actually get one in your hand you see it's great fun to type so casually and with so little effort."
I've used Twiddlers - they are nice, but everything John (the guy who makes this new one) has said is entirely true.
We who were living are now dying
With a little patience
Since you can type 256 (2^8) different "keys" with one hand, would that be 2^16 keys with a two-handed setup?
Could you perhaps integrate a mouse or trackball into it?
We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.
While I wholeheartedly applaud this guy's efforts, I think he's missing the possibilities of using the upward motion of the finger as well as the downward. That having been said, I think this is fantastic. This might push me over the edge to ditch my 19" trinitron for some glasses.
For those who don't want to go through NYT, you can go right to his site at chordite.com.
My
Limekiller
Mr. McKown acknowledges the existence of chording keyboards. His patent covers the physical configuration, not the idea of a chording keyboard. His design allows the typing fingers freedom; they do not need to support the keybard at all, providing a more comfortable experience.
Also, the design is unobtrusive. He refers to it as a "stealthy" keyboard. I don't know if that's such a big fat hairy deal, but the comfort aspect is.
Microsoft is to software what Budweiser is to beer.
it's called the Twiddler from handykey (www.handykey.com) and anyone who is a part of wearable computing has touched one at least once in their lifetime.. Granted, making your own is cool, but it's far from innovative..
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
HandyKey Twiddler 2The Twiddler2 is a pocket-sized mouse pointer plus a full-function keyboard in a single unit that fits neatly in either right or left hand. The Twiddler2 plugs into both keyboard and mouse PS/2 ports on any computer that accepts standard PS/2 mouse and keyboard input. WearClam: A Wearable Input InterfaceThe WearClam is an wearable Input device, developed for those situations where you need keyboard-like input nearly all the time. It is an ergonomic ring which resembles a real Clam's shape and as such it could be considered as a wearable interface for a wearable computer. L3 Systems WristPC KeyboardL3 Systems has developed the WristPC Keyboard for portable and wearable computer applications. The WristPC is a rugged QWERTY keyboard with a standard PC keyboard interface. The housing is a black anodized aluminum. Completely sealed, it can operate in the rain and other harsh environments. Fitaly One-Finger KeyboardThis "keyboard" is optimized for entry with a single finger or with a pen, as is the case on a pen computer or a computer with a touchscreen. The Fitaly One-Finger Keyboard minimizes pen or finger travel as well as hand travel. Tactex smart fabric technologyTactex's Smart Fabric technology enables the manufacture of both expressive and rugged control surfaces, which can be presented in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and surface finishes. A retail product, the MTC Express, is about the size of a mouse pad, and is produced for Mac and Windows platforms. Senseboard virtual keyboardSenseboard (tm) is a virtual keyboard, designed for the millions of mobile computer users, struggling with their tiny or nonexistent keyboards when trying to communicate or type. The VK hand mounted devices allow the user to type on any surface as if it were a keyboard. Sensors in the units measure the finger movements and artificial intelligence and a language processor determine appropriate keystrokes or mouse movements. Thunbscript Input DevicesThumbscript (TM) is a patented universal text entry system for mobile people and devices. Equally at home with Pen based devices like the Palm Pilot and keypad devices like your telephone or TV controller, Thumbscript offers users a single system that is simple, inexpensive to implement and easy to use because it is visual. FrogPad keyboardThe "FrogPad" is a 19-key device that uses patented simultaneous key function change technology to emulate a full-size keyboard, and requires a fraction of the physical space. Kord Interface TechnologyKord (R) Interface Technology (Kord [R] IT)is a suite of hardware and software that creates "an ambidextrous, chordic Human Machine Interface HMI, suitable for any computing device". Essential Reality P5 GloveTo digitally "walk" through an online room or actually "pick up" objects in a video game requires the ability to manipulate in three-dimensions. Not through complicated keystrokes but by the simple movement of your hand in space.
Douglas Engelbart, father of just about everything 'modern' in computing, showed a chord keyboard in 1968. Do a google search for 'chord keyboard' to see how many other people are doing stuff, or 'chord keyboard douglas' to find out stuff about D.E., including RealMedia of his 1968 demo.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Hmm. . .to get a character with this keyboard one often presses many keys at the same time to make a "chord" and produce a character.
:). M-> for end of buffer or C-M-w for append next kill to last. . .do we have that many fingers?
Can you imagine the insanity editing in Emacs would be?
I've always been intrigued by the Twiddler, but have been a little leery of the potential for carpal tunnel syndrome from using it (not that thousands of people have already gotten carpal tunnel syndrome from using two-handed QWERTY boards, but I haven't, yet).
This device looks like it might conform even better to one's hand than the flatter looking Twiddler.
What strikes me, though, is that the ultimate in one-handed keyboard comfort would be to customize the shape according to individual hands.
Once you get the basic electronics down to size, just have people go to sleep with some kind of goo in their hands that will harden into a shape that is natural for your relaxed hand.
Haven't joysticks come up with sufficient touch pads for emulating a full QWERTY board yet?
"Provided by the management for your protection."
Example: In order to pare the number of keys, all these designs resort to "Chords" -- multiple keys hit in combination, or in sequence, to produce a result. This design gets different results from your fingertips as opposed to pressure with the middle of your finger, too. So how many hard-to-recall combinations of left-thumb-tip with right-index-finger knuckle are we going to need to remember to avoid hitting ctrl-q when we meant "Q"? Not the system to learn on the laptop where you keep all your contact info, right?
We're past the point where we should be teaching ourselves elaborate new routines to accommodate new technologies. The Palm handwriting system is a good example of how crappy that model is; I can't stand that the OS is trying to make me learn a new way to write "T" as a capital letter. That's just wrongheaded. The technology's supposed to be conforming to us, and that's not just a physical thing.
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
Graffitti is precisely the way we should be going. I know, I know you want to jack your brain in and all that but for now things like Graffitti make the most sense.
Your capital T curves up, mine looks like a T Square, his looks like italic script, hers looks like a small T anyway. How is a computer supposed to know what you're talking about? (See also The Newton)
Giving you the parameters with which to work in is VERY MUCH the computer way. Despite what you may think we HUMANS must CONFORM to the COMPUTER all the time. (See also Programming.)
I mean Hell just look at spelling, none of it makes sense. (See also ghoti == fish)
This
I hate to whine, but did you read his white paper? The twiddler needs a strap; his doesn't. Come ON, folks, RTFWP already!
-russ
Don't piss off The Angry Economist
For those interested in something that fills this function, leverages your existing typing skills, and does not require chording check out the half keyboard. The disadvantage I can see is that it isn't truly one-handed as you need to strap it to your other arm, and as a result it's also not "stealth". The advantage is you can buy it right now. I do not own one of these or endorse the product in any way, but I had a link that actually seemed to be on topic for once. :)
Error: PANTS NOT FOUND. Press <F1> to continue.
I suspect you could invent a fairly simple touch-feedback interface glove in this same vein using current tech -- just install a small buzzer at the end of each finger to provide tactile feedback when you "touch" a key.
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
Big deal. There are plenty of one-handed chorded keyboards around, with minor differences in shape and major differences in layout and chords.
Having a patent on them is self-defeating--why would anybody want to invest their time and effort in learning a patented input method when there are plenty of free ones around?
Remember, a patent doesn't prevent you from building something as long as you don't do it for profit.
There is no "non-profit" exception for patents. If an invention is patented, you are not permitted to build it for any reason without a license from the patent holder: not for research, not as a prototype, not to enhance it, not to try it out, not for education, not for fun.
Why the slasdot community is so hostile towards patents in principle I shall never understand.
Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that you don't seem to have a clue about the patent system. As someone who actually holds a number of patents, I can tell you: they are a useless waste of time and money. Most small inventors cannot easily afford them or prosecute them, and large companies just use them to keep innovators out of their markets. The overall result is bad for consumers and bad for inventors; only lawyers and large companies really benefit from the system (and the politicians they give lots of money to).
"Your capital T curves up, mine looks like a T Square, his looks like italic script, hers looks like a small T anyway. How is a computer supposed to know what you're talking about?"
The same way other humans know.
Only faster.
-- Terry
a good point of this 'keyboard' is that th hand can be held in th thumb up position which is our more natural tool using hand posture and i would imagine places much less pressure on th carpal tunnel
and off on a small tangent i would like to see a 'keyboard' which uses two hands with th fingers lightly wired up and tapping against each other - probably also with chording combinations
palms would be pressed together and held straight out while 'typing' or alternatively with th fingers pointing straight upward and th hands held in front of th chest - a lovely image of us communicating with our computers in a natural attitude of prayer
Although for wearable applications, the Twiddler is no doubt one of the best of its kind, the criticism mentioned in the article is very valid: with a Twiddler, you're holding the keyboard in place with your palm, your thumb, and a strap around the back of your hand. Pressing the control/shift/alt/num keys - which requires use of the thumb that also helps hold your Twiddler in place - is a problem. To avoid having to deal with getting finger positions back to optimal, I often simply use my other hand. So in practice, the Twiddler is sorta one-handed, and pretty slow. I'm sure there are people plenty faster than me on it, but I doubt the average user will be able to achieve even half the performance of a Qwerty (considering you only use one hand, that's a fairly safe assumption).
It's not clear that this new keyboard will improve on all of this, but the point is there's certainly room for improvement.
BTW, the Twiddler2 (latest available version) does not have a gyroscopic mouse, afaik. It's simply the IBM-style eraser mouse (TouchPoint?)
You get RSI for forcing your fingers and hands to do unnatural gestures repeatedly for a long time.
This looks like it keeps the hand and fingers in its natural position, so IMHO, it should be helpful to avoid RSI and carpal tunnel syndrome.
No sig for the moment.