Can new keyboard stop the aches?

Electronic News, June 16, 1997 by Cynthia Bournellis

"I knew it was time to take action after the Digital lawsuit," said Mr. Rossen, scientist and inventor of the TouchEasy Ergonomic keyboard. The Digital case led Mr. Rossen to do an anatomical study of arm, hand and finger structures.

Still in the prototyping stage, TouchEasy is designed to eliminate the incorrect positions the hands, arms, elbows and wrists generally tend to be in when one is typing on a standard QWERTY keyboard. Highly unconventional yet whimsical in appearance--TouchEasy will come in red, yellow and lime green--TouchEasy breaks the rules of the QWERTY layout. Its keys are arranged on a complex curved surface on the back of the device that accommodates the fingers when they are poised in their natural position.

Mr. Rossen said that unlike standard keyboards, his new invention does not force pronation of the hands or abduction of the elbows. TouchEasy's design also allows the shoulders to be in a comfortable position, while eliminating extension and adduction of the wrists. To be more specific, "The little fingers are only required to make a small number of easy flexion movements, and the thumbs are always resting above thenar support in a reference thumb surface," explained Mr. Rossen.

(Abduction is the moving or drawing away from near or parallel to the body's median axis, while adduction is the drawing toward the median line of the body or axis of a limb.)

TouchEasy is held in much the same way an open book is held. In this state, the fingers type on the back surface of the keyboard. Nonetheless, some specialists in the field of ergonomics and human factors believe TouchEasy's acceptance will be hindered because it will require users to relearn the keyboard. However, Mr. Rossen said experienced typists should catch on quickly. Edie Adams, manager of hardware useability at Microsoft, believes the QWERTY layout is here to stay and that users need to learn the proper way to use a keyboard. Microsoft, along with others, such as Compaq Computer, includes a safety and user guide with its Natural alternative keyboard. Released two years ago, the Natural keyboard is one of two popular products in the market today that attempts to address ergonomics issues.

The other more recent alternative keyboard is the Future keyboard from Acer America. Both the Natural and Future keyboards have a split design, yet they are somewhat different. While the Natural keyboard is wide enough to accommodate large hands, the Acer keyboard slopes downward in an attempt to prevent radial deviation of the wrist, and it has a separate numeric keypad. It also features a center cursor control designed to accommodate either a track ball or touch pad. After four years of silence on the ergonomics front, giant keyboard manufacturer Key Tronics this summer will release a new keyboard made to "fit the human body," according to Key Tronics general manager Craig Gates. Four years ago, Key Tronic spent roughly $4 million in R&D on new product designs, one of which was an adjustable split keyboard. However, market acceptance was slim. The new keyboard, whose features are still a secret, will be really "cool" and will be more comfortable to use, said Mr. Gates.

Meanwhile many developments are ongoing in the area of articulating keyboards. These expensive input devices can cost upwards of $1,000 and come in many shapes and sizes. As with TouchEasy, these devices also require some level of relearning. "The classic misperception is that the alternative keyboard is the ultimate answer, but when people use them without the proper training, they can put their bodies in a worse position," said Cynthia Purvis, a human factors engineer at Compaq.

Furthermore, a number of manufacturers are working to integrate various functions, such as smart cards, into keyboards in order to eliminate keystrokes. According to ergonomics specialists, having less keystrokes to perform a given task will result in less repetitive movements of the hands, fingers and arms. Keyboards of the future may not even require use of the keypads. Based on electromagnetics, a number of companies are working on gesture recognition technology that depends on body movements to maneuver devices such as mice. In the case of keyboards, gesture recognition will let users move their hands over the top of the keyboard in order to move the cursor. Today, gesture recognition can be seen in mice products from Logitech and in the EyeGaze computer system from LC Technologies, Inc. (EN March 10, 1997).