Thumb-only Keyboard?

Numeric writes " You know a thumb has more usefullness than just for hitchiking...A Stanford Univ. professor is developeing an all-thumb keyboard. A user will wear a glove that reads data by the user depressing "hot spots" on a glove's finger. Of course, the wearer will have to learn "thumbcode". "

Comments

Important, but not interesting

[BadlandZ]

Things like this strike me as very important, for thier potential applications to allowing computer access to the handicaped (disabled, whatever the pc term is for them now).

Although, I believe it's important, I don't particuarlly find it interesting. Because of the fact that qwerty is a standard, and works just fine, it will be very very hard to replace with ANYTHING. People learn it, it's everywhere, it's easy (I can type faster than I can write by hand, and I know I am not the best typessste :-P). Any alternitive to character input to a computer would have to be _significantly_ faster and easier than qwerty to actually get anywhere (thus, I am interested in Via Voice that is suppose to ship in RH 6.0).

For that reason, I don't think projects like this thumb thing can be significantly viable. This is good, and I am glad someone is trying alternitives, but I think that the goal has to be for the disabled, and something like a low dexterity input device would be better (someone hack character input for a joystick or something.. that would probably be better...)

Re:Important, but not interesting

[BadlandZ]

Yea, but ONE THUMB? I like the glove idea linked above much better for this :-)

Re:Expounding on a better idea.

[BadlandZ]

Yes, put the touchpad on the BACK of the glove on the left hand, use your right hand to touch it, and click your left hand fingers together in diffrent configurations for mouse clicks :P Two handed solutions increase the possable input patterns more, makes the mouse work, AND, causes less strain on the hands...

Someone should bookmark this thread and send it to the wearable people :P

Datahand gives you a use for your left thumb

[Pascal Q. Porcupine]

Time for my weekly Datahand post. :)

On the Datahand, both thumbs are used quite a bit. The right thumb is responsible for space, backspace, number/symbol modeshift, entering mouse mode, and the alt key, and the left thumb does tab, enter, shift, entering character mode, and the ctrl key. Admittedly, I used to use my left thumb for the spacebar, but now even on normal keyboards I use my right thumb, just out of habit.

The Datahand does a good job of distributing load across all the fingers in a pretty sane way. Their mapping could be improved slightly, but not enough to complain about (as long as you don't want to play games on it).

---
"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.

Gestures

[Kris_J]

"A.S.L. uses finger spelling for uncommon words and about 6,000 gestures for common words. It's complicated to explain gestures to computers."

I use a product called "Pop-Mouse" from Pointix. It listens to a small set of gestures and allows me to directly run programs or fake keystrokes, or popup a menu of options. I have one set of apps, one set of folders and one set of "stamps" (fragments of text) that I use very often, plus a bunch of other things (like running my MP3 player, or pressing F5 to refresh).

The gestures it allows are; Clockwise circle, Anti-Clockwise circle, shake left-right, shake up-down. It also monitors the (middle of the) edges of the screen, and can be modified by SHIFT and CTRL.

This program allows me to basically operate my PC one-handed with a single 4-button wheel-mouse. I only need to move to the keyboard when I'm doing an extended amount of typing, which is slowly becoming less frequent. Common text fragments I have on my stamp menu include my various e-mail and web addresses for entry into forms. I'm considering purchasing a set of foot pedals, but then I'd have no use for my left hand at all.

Keyboards aren't the way to head, gestures are. Does anyone else have anything that listens to gestures?

Kris.

Win a Rio (or join the SETI Club via same link)

Re:They Say history repeats itself

[HamNRye]

Dof! The nintendo power glove is great for garage VR applications. I use mine as a mouse, and can still type with that hand.

Basically it's just some fiber-optic strands that react to a finger bend. Replace the inner material with something breatheable and comfortable, get the pin outs right, and you are in business. Now, combine that with a glove keyboard design, and you have a great wearable design.

A really bad idea.

[brad.hill]

Ok, so I'm typing (verrryyy slowly) and oops, I have to open a door/tie my shoe/shake somebody's hand/unzip my fly for a pee/unlock my car/etc. and I've got this clunky borg glove on my hand. Unless you can remove your hand/body from the interface quickly, I don't see something like this being useful or enjoyable.

How about a combination of flexible and split keyboards that you could wear on the tops of your thighs? You couldn't use it while walking, but it'd be convienient when sitting or standing. It'd look super geeky, but no worse than this glove or other MIT borg devices.

Make your own ...

[nerp]

If you want to make your own, check this out
Looks very similar ..

They Say history repeats itself

[Spamman]

Remember the Nintendo Glove? I got it for a Christmas gift once, and took it back and bought a game instead. Things like that arent sucessful. Most glove type devices I noticed caused arm strain, try holding your hand out, just try...I'd rather get a syndrome from typing :)
Matt

SpamMan