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Morphing Keyboard

 its alive i tell you, ALIVE !
  (+6, -4)
(+6, -4) 		  [vote for,
against]

i'm far from an expert, but i believe one of the primary causes of RSI from typing is the repitition. of the key presses. The morphing keyboard is built from flexible plastic & small micro motors, and will continually change shape to eliminate repitition.

The case of the keyboard will slowly flex in 3d. While the keys will all stay within a QWERTY layout, the keys will flex both with, & indepedent of the keyboard case. The moving wrist rests will ensure that your hands in approximately the right position to touch type.

& when your fed up with typing, you can lie on your desk & get a neck massage by resting your neck on it....

—mymus, Jul 11 2002

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       This could actually result in more serious injuries.
—[ sctld ], Jul 11 2002
   

       the movement is slow, gradual & within a limited range required to eliminate repition.
—mymus, Jul 11 2002
   

       Hmmm, I'm not quite convinced. I would try one if it were offered to me, and then vote.   

       I've worked with industrial keyboards that had tiny backlit LCDs embedded in the keycaps. It was a really nice bit of kit, but horribly expensive. You could use that to dynamically redefine the key layouts to avoid repetetive movements, but it would be very confusing for touch-typists.
—8th of 7, Jul 11 2002
   

       I know someone who has one of those ergonomic keyboards, that have a bulge in the middle and the letters in two clumps sloping off to either side. I can't touch-type with it. I'm sure I could with practice, but if it was constantly changing, it would be even worse. I like the idea a lot (perhaps it would have applications for certain games), I just don't think it would be practical.
—pottedstu, Jul 11 2002
   

       Slow moving huh, Darn I was hoping to teach it tricks.   

       "resting your neck on it..." I bet the typical use would be more like - putting it between your legs... So Croissant
—dag, Jul 11 2002
   

       potted, thats exactly the keyboard i am typing on right now. it really does make a big improvement for touch typists. but even then i get finger cramps if i type for a while.

8th, that was my original idea, but thought it would drive me crazy.

dag. your not wrong.
—mymus, Jul 11 2002
   

       I doughnut have any repetitive dress this order because I use voice recognition software.
—hexadecimal, Jul 11 2002
   

       do u think a morphing keyboard would feel like youguhrt in your mouth?
—_ratshole_, Jul 13 2002
   

       more like a firm toffee that self chews....
—mymus, Jul 13 2002
   

       At first I thought it said Morphine Keyboard. Man, I was all over that...
—Mr Burns, Jul 16 2002
   

       I wonder if slowly varying the angle of the keyboard would have any positive effects. That would at least change the position of the hands without significantly altering the relative position of the keys (which you want to keep constant to allow touch typing).   

       I think part of the problem is that our fingers are all different lengths, meaning they all have to be bent and twisted to reach the same level. I think if we could type with our fingers extended rather than bent almost double, that would be a great improvement Maybe surgery is required. Or some method of finger-waggling data entry.   

       (I think mymus should feel free to tidy up some of the wayward annotations here.)
—pottedstu, Jul 17 2002
   

       maybe just a keyboard that can be altered by the user every now and then, like a transformer toy. I don't mean make it into a robot with guns and stuff (although that would be cool) but adjust the angles, pull it apart into two pieces and do things like that. This diversity takes the repetitive element out - the best seats (ergonomically speaking) are ones that allow the user to find many comfortable positions, not just one.
—timo, Jul 17 2002
   

       potted, the idea is that you must be able to touchtype. the keys will change their height slightly & the angle of the key sllightly, as well as the frontprint changing. but all within parameters that allow you personally to still touchtype. it could also have a mode where you configure your preferences, based upon your hand size. so the keys would be in the ideal position for you, rather than an average for all.

timo, the new ergonomic chairs were the obvious inspiration for this idea. they are based on the fact that staying in the same position for any long period of time is bad. Most of the latest one are built to be dynamically balanced, so your muscles have to stay awake.
—mymus, Jul 17 2002
   

       With voice recognition software, you could move the keys as on a player piano, massaging the fingertips.   

       We tested an ATM 15 years ago with an ABCDE keyboard, but it was hell to type on.
—FarmerJohn, Jul 17 2002
   


 

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