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The DataHand Ergonomic Design

Envision the fingers of a stationary, supported hand moving north, south, east, west, and straight down around their at-rest position. This vision gives an idea about how the keys on the DataHand ergonomic keyboard are operated. A DataHand user's fingers move less than half an inch in each direction.

The DataHand keyboard is not a chorded keyboard. With three main modes plus a ten-key mode, it has more keys than most other keyboards: 134 keys without counting the ten-key mode, 174 if the ten-key mode is counted.

The DataHand key assignment display is above the fingers, always visible, never covered by the fingers. Each of the modes is differentiated on the display by a different color: green for Normal (alphabetic) mode, blue for Numbers and Symbols mode, yellow for Function and Mouse mode, and red for Ten-key mode.

The above photograph shows a DataHand left-hand unit mounted on a DataHand Laplander™ lapdesk. The hands can be placed  a comfortable distance apart. Different people have different preferences about the positioning of the units. The angle of hand pronation can also be adjusted both by adjusting the angle of the keywells within each unit and by adding an additional foam wedge under each unit. Other adjustments on the side of the units and next to the thumb allow the unit to accommodate the hand size and shape of each individual DataHand user.
 
 

The above photograph shows a DataHand right-hand unit mounted on a DataHand Laplander™ lapdesk. Thumb switches are used to shift between the three main modes plus Capital shift as needed. The right thumb controls NAS (Numbers and Symbols) shift (right thumb down) and Function and Mouse shift (right thumb up). The left thumb is used to shift into the Normal mode (left thumb up) and for the Capital letter shift (left thumb down). The close proximity of these functions to the thumb enables very fast work, and it eliminates hand movement. All work is performed by the fingers while the hands remain stationary.

Picture of the DataHand® Ergonomic Keyboard on DataHand® Laplander Lapdesk

The picture below shows both a right and a left DataHand unit mounted on a DataHand Laplander™ lapdesk. The hole in the center allows for the organization and the management of the computer connection wires. A chair is available with the DataHand keyboard units mounted on each arm of the chair. Provision has been made for wireless connection from the DataChair to the computer.

The DataHand keyboard can also be used on a desktop or in a keyboard tray mounted to the underside of a desk. Finally, with additional angled brackets, it is possible to mount a laptop computer between the two DataHand units on a Laplander lapdesk. This latter concept creates an ergonomically correct but still reasonably portable computer unit.
 
 

The DataHand ergonomic keyboard comes mounted on a Laplander lapdesk with two foam pronation wedges to relieve the static stress of twisting the hands flat. With longer mounting screws, an additional foam pronation wedge can be added as an option to achieve a greater corrective angle. Some people prefer an even greater angle, and they have worked out their own ways to achieve it. One user has utilized small, readily available, photographic ball joints to achieve angle adjustability. Some users prefer a greater angle to further reduce the static stress of twisting their hands into a more flat position.

The DataHand units can be easily disconnected from the Laplander to be used on a desktop or in a keyboard tray. The DataHand keyboard can also be mounted on the arms of a chair. For information on this option see the Product Section of this website.

Enlarged DataHand Key Displays

The key display mounted on each DataHand keyboard shows the role of each key in all four modes. Below, the combined display with all four modes is shown— followed by a display of each of the separate modes. These illustrations will enable an understanding of the keys available in each mode. In the Numbers and Symbols mode, numbers are entered with both hands, while the ten-key mode is utilized to enter numbers with the right hand. In the ten-key mode, symbols are made available on the left hand.

The Combined Display of All Four Modes as They Appear on the Professional II and the Personal Edition of the DataHand Keyboard
 

On the left side of the right hand display is a row of four colored lights which correspond to each of the four modes. A different light comes on when each mode is chosen and made active. A tone device to announce the modes, as they are chosen, is under in development. It will provide an distinctly recognizable audible signal corresponding to each of the four modes.

The Normal (Alphabetic) Mode Display:
 

The keys displayed in green are available in the Normal (alphabetic) mode. The keys displayed in white are available in all modes. The key marked N on the left thumb is used to shift into the Normal mode when another mode is active. A similar switch on the right thumb shifts the keyboard into Function and Mouse mode. When Function and Mouse mode is active, mouse and cursor function is operated with the index fingers. One index finger can be used to operate a fast mouse, and the other index finger can be used to operate a slow mouse. The speeds of both are adjustable, and if both fingers are used together, the speed of the pointer on the screen is accelerated. The keys labeled mb1, mb2, and mb3 stand for Mouse Button 1, 2, and 3. More detailed understanding of these functions can be gained by downloading and reading the DataHand User's Guide. To download this volume, go to the end of this document, and click on the download instruction.
 

The Function and Mouse Mode Display:
 
 

In Function and Mouse mode, the right ring finger enables the index finger keys to be toggled between cursor control and mouse movement. To return to mouse mode from cursor mode, the left middle finger is used.
 

The Numbers and Symbols Mode Display:
 

The thumb down switch on the left hand provides the Capital letter shift function on the first level and Capital lock the second level. Hitting the locked Capital shift key unlocks it, returning the keyboard to lower case writing.

The Ten-Key Mode Display:
 

A right ring finger westward movement in the Numbers and Symbols mode turns on the Ten-Key mode. The same movement in the Ten-Key mode turns the Ten-key mode off. In the Ten-Key mode, the right little finger can move the cursor in all four directions as shown by the arrows. This allows very quick cursor movement, eliminating the need to go into the Mouse and Function mode and turning on the cursor function there. With the cursor movement keys on the little finger of the right hand, the mouse function option, as opposed to the cursor option, can be left on all the time in the Function and Mouse Mode— if the user prefers.
 

The DataHand Dvorak Key Layout Option:

For those who want, the Dvorak key layout is also available on the DataHand keyboard. This option is available through the use of ROM programming which enables either the Dvorak layout or the QWERTY layout to be chosen via a toggle switch in the programming mode. Just as is true in the QWERTY layout, four keys in the DataHand Dvorak layout are located in a different place than they are on the traditional flat keyboard. The diagonal movements of the index fingers on the flat keyboard become lateral movements of the index and the ring fingers. This assignment pattern spreads the work more equally among the four fingers.

The efficiency gap between the Dvorak layout and the QWERTY layout is smaller on the DataHand keyboard than it is on the traditional flat keyboard because so many of the efficiency issues are solved by the DataHand design, but Dvorak users still believe in the value of the Dvorak layout— even on the DataHand keyboard system. For more information about the DataHand Dvorak option, send e-mail to DataHand Systems, Inc. or call the company using the phone numbers shown at the bottom of this page.

The DataHand Dvorak display templates are shown below with all modes shown in the same colors as are used in the QWERTY display (Normal (alphabetic) mode is green, Function and Mouse mode is shown in yellow, the Numbers and Symbols mode is shown in blue, and the Ten-key mode is in red):

To understand the operation of the DataHand keyboard in greater detail,

click here to download the DataHand Professional II User's Guide,

click here to download the DataHand Personal Edition User's Guide,

and/or

click here to download the DataHand Training Guide.

DataHand Ergonomic Keyboards: Feel the Difference

©2005 DataHand^® Systems, Inc.
3044 North 33rd Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85017-5247
(602) 233-6000; (800) 875-7171; FAX: (602) 233-3434
datahand@datahand.com