Better comfort and maybe productivity with ergonomic keyboards

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

Posted on 19 Dec 2010 by Alan Burns

Those of us who use our computers frequently are susceptible to wrist strain. The right hand is especially vulnerable as it does all the mousing. In my last column I discussed ergonomic mice. Another way to reduce wrist strain and improve your efficiency at the same time is to get a better keyboard. Now, not just any keyboard will do. The key is to obtain features that make keyboarding more comfortable.

As with mice, two of the biggest keyboard producers are Microsoft and Logitech. Each of them has a range of keyboards

One of the more common ergonomic keyboard designed involved a curved keyboard, slightly curving the left side clockwise, and the right side counter-clockwise, with a gap in the centre between the two sets of keys. I used such a keyboard for several years and can attest that it is indeed more natural feeling and more comfortable for touch typists. This takes a few days to get used to, but it is much more comfortable on your hands and wrists. Once you use one you’ll never want to return to a normal keyboard.

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

Another keyboard I used for years was the Microsoft Office Keyboard. It included an area on the left called the Touch Pad, a group of controls to reduce mouse use and make it easier to edit and work in multiple applications. Touch Pad controls included: a scroll wheel; back & forward buttons; cut, copy and paste buttons; and an application switch to quickly toggle between open applications.

This set of controls was brilliantly useful. Not only did it speed up my work, especially the cut, copy and paste buttons, but it shifted much of the work normally done by the right mouse hand to the left hand. This better balanced the work performed by each hand, reducing the strain on the right hand. Sadly, Microsoft discontinued this model. I hope it returns, because that Touch Pad control area was a wonderful invention.

The Evoluent Mouse-Friendly Keyboard makes a lot of sense. It cleverly moves the numeric keypad from its usual right-side position to the left side of the keyboard. On a regular keyboard the numeric keypad forces the mouse (for right-handed users) to be very far to the right. This requires the user’s right arm to stretch to the right, and the user to turn slightly. This position can easily cause strain.

Evoluent Mouse-Friendly Keyboard

By placing the numeric keypad on the left, the Evoluent Mouse-Friendly Keyboard centres the typing area between the keypad and the mouse, allowing both arms to remain in a more natural position.

The OrbiTouch Keyless Keyboard is an entirely different beast. This fascinating design requires no conventional typing. Instead of using fingers and wrist motion to type individual keys, the user manipulates two domes. The combined positions of the two domes determines which character is typed.

OrbiTouch Keyless Keyboard

Three-button mouse functionality is also achieved by manipulation of the domes. It’s purported that eliminating finger motion and most wrist motion benefits users with repetitive stress injuries, reduced finger mobility, or other injuries. It has also benefitted people with autism, cerebral palsy and reduced vision. The keyboard comes with a learning system to teach and improve user operation.

There is a wide variety of ergonomic keyboards. I know from experience that there is bound to be one that will make you more comfortable and less prone to injury.