Your Hands Go INSIDE this Keyboard

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Split ergonomic keyboards have been increasing in popularity in recent years as use of computers and the internet has become more frequent. Options like the ErgoDox EZ, the MoonLander, and others have sprung up in the craziest of mechanical keyboard collections, but this may be the one keyboard to rule them all.

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Title: Laszlo - Supernova

CHAPTERS
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0:00 Intro
1:06 The design & hardware
2:44 Typing intro
2:55 Staff try it out
3:28 The layout & usage
4:49 "a short time"
5:15 Can you buy one?
5:45 Homebrew projects
6:08 Why did DataHand fail?
7:05 Design suggestions & outro

[LinusTechTips]

Hello! After posting the video, the Datahand's creator, Dale Retter, reached out to us (and to Lalaboard's Ben, it turns out). Here are some points he wanted to share with the world - which he typed on his Datahand, naturally:

"Why DataHand didn’t sell enough units to stay in business?
The long learning curve meant only a small percentage of existing flat keyboard users were willing to switch to DataHand. Most that did were motivated by the pain and discomfort flat keyboard use was causing them. For first time keyboard users (mostly children) learning DataHand vs. a flat keyboard would be faster. This is because DataHand eliminates “hand float” and provides more immediate and better differentiated tactile feedback. Also, DataHand use does not block the key labels. However, the initial selling price of DataHand prevented it from becoming an option for most first-time keyboard users.

The DataHand devices as initially sold were only intended to be a real-world proof of useability. It succeeded in demonstrating it could be learned, allow faster typing and largely eliminating the user discomfort and injury caused by flat keyboard usage. A published peer reviewed study showed user discomfort halved in the first three months and halved again after six months.

It was hoped that sufficient funding could be obtained to allow DataHand to be re-engineered for lower cost production, a more attractive appearance, and the inclusion of other intended design features. For example, a better mouse function and software to provide an onscreen display that would make learning and use easier. The funding required for this was not obtained.

I believe widespread long-term use of DataHand keyboards would have proved they were faster, less error prone, and would provide less risk of injury and much greater comfort over a lifetime of sustainable use.

Why does DataHand closely emulate the flat keyboard arrangement?
As you noted it reduces the learning curve by requiring only four keys to be in intuitively non obvious locations. The present QWERTY keyboard was designed to slow down typing. This was in order to prevent mechanical typewriters from having the metal keys from jamming because more than one key was activated at the same time. For example, E-D is the most common letter sequence in the English language. To prevent a typist hitting the D key before the E key got out of the way, the E and D keys were put on the same finger. For DataHand this is an advantage because it turns many common letter sequences into a single ricocheting motion of a single finger. With DataHand you can hit the E key and then the D key with a single finger’s elliptical motion and no risk of a mechanical key jam.

Why is the DataHand mouse so bad?
They are “finger-mice” not intended to be a primary mouse input. They can sometimes be useful for spreadsheet navigation or some text manipulations. At present it is suggested that DataHand should be accompanied with a conventional mouse device.

The primary mouse input was intended to be provided by moving the entire DataHand unit like a conventional mouse. The DataHand was intended to lock in position during normal data entry. However, an increased hand pressure was intended to release it to glide easily like a conventional mouse. Both hands were intended to operate simultaneously in this manner with one hand being a fine control and the other a more rapid mouse. Additionally, a thumb operated joystick mouse was being developed that could be accessed without removing the user’s hands from the DataHand palm rests.

What is a realistic learning time?
A guitar is generally considered much easier to learn to play at a basic level than a violin. However, a violinist who has spent years or decades becoming a good violinist, cannot pick up a guitar for the first time and expect to play it very well in a “short time”. The flat keyboard is like a violin, DataHand is like a quitar. In our experience beginners with a few 20 min dedicated self-training sessions per day gradually become proficient enough to achieve slow but workable speeds in a few days or weeks. Highly motivated users have mastered it faster. As a general rule most persistent users were able to type slowly within days, and equal their flat keyboard speed within months. After a number of months most users become faster than they were on their flat keyboards.

If one is starting from scratch DataHand can be learned much faster than the use of a flat keyboard. This is in part because the most difficult part of learning a flat keyboard is being able to float one’s hands over the keyboard and reliably find the intended key without looking. In contrast with DataHand there is no need to “float your hands”, and each key touches a different finger or finger part providing much clearer tactile feedback than on a flat keyboard where every key feels the same. It is also why once it learned operators make fewer mistakes.

A personal anecdote
When I was first starting DataHand, my office manager, an older woman with decades of typing experience, typed well over 90 words a minute. She was not a DataHand fan and insisted on using a flat keyboard. Eventually when we began to have investors visiting our office, I insisted she had to be seen using a DataHand. Very reluctantly and for only a few hours a day, or when visitors were expected, did she use DataHand. For weeks she complained that DataHand was slower and made it harder to do her job. Some months later on a Friday afternoon she told me she had to do a lot of typing for her church group over the weekend. She asked if she could take her DataHand home for the weekend because it was faster and didn’t make her hands hurt.

Are the 4 modes a disadvantage?
No, because with DataHand all the keys can be confidently touch-typed. For example, most typists can’t type the fourth-row numeric keys without looking. With DataHand most users can very quickly learn to touch type the number keys which have with the mode change become home keys. Likewise, when particular function keys are frequently used with DataHand they can be accessed reliably without looking at the keyboard."

[vishnuvenkatesh]

This is an 80s hacker prop if I've ever seen one.

[dumpsterdawg]

The letters 'T' and 'G' are far too close together on the keyboard.
This is why I'll never be ending an email with 'Regards' ever again

[diegomatheus]

This keyboard with the 10 key clusters might be awesome for a hiragana, since you can put each family in one finger and the last one can be used for the modifiers

[Frog-kouu]

I LOVE how the first thing Anthony does is look to find out how it’s plugged into the PC!

[exegetor]

In '95 I took part in a comparison study for a large potential buyer. After establishing the baseline for 40 typists over 2 weeks, the group was split up: for the next 2 weeks, 20 continued on regular keyboards and 20 switched to the datahand. At the end of the two weeks, the datahand group averaged slightly faster keystrokes than the control group, but a slight increase in typos erased that advantage. The biggest difference was the datahand group, at the end of an 8 hour shift of typing, were far less fatigued than the control group. The datahand is was a *weird* experience, and it *will* take at least a week or two of persistant use to become fluent, but it is a wonderful device. 5 stars!

[jacobmontgomery]

Realistically if we all used these from childhood, we would probably be fine

[JoshCMinecraft]

“Can’t put a price on health! Except in the states…”

Yeah, that one hit a bit too hard 😂

[Rhynri]

Fun fact: this was the controls for the alien ship in the movie ‘Contact’.

I bought one of these as a teenager. Honestly the smart way to go with the DataHand was to get the Dvorak layout version like you mentioned. It was a little kit you bought from them and installed inside it, and came with new overlays. That way, you weren’t trying to relearn QWERTY, but instead pick up the already faster Dvorak layout and your brain would associate that with the data hand. It took me maybe an hour to get back to 40 WPM once I received it.

The mouse is a lot easier to use when you do it as intended by using both fingers. It’s additive so not only do you get two movement speeds you also could then do diagonals. Doesn’t really make up for a mouse but works well enough for code and documents with short movements.

When I bought my Pro II in 2008 they were selling them with a little PS/2 to USB adapter.

[colday]

I was 'lucky' enough to be able to test a prototype of one of these back in 1994 (I think). The finger keys were designed differently and your fingers slipped into sockets so you could also type a letter by lifting your finger as well as down and sideways. As I say, was a prototype but was fairly interesting.

[morgan]

James: "We can only speculate on what led to this curious keyboards demise"
Nobody bought it.

[LonelySandwich]

Aliens made this keyboard... So I guess you could say it's Alienware?!

[jaimeeoww]

They acting like we didnt literally take several classes on typing on a normal keyboard growing up.

[Fant]

I think letting people customize the layout could help them get used to it faster. Each person has their own system, priorities etc and that could make it easier for an average user to get used to.

[bubboi]

I love buying out entire companies, thanks LTT for recommending me my next acquisition in seasonic

[R.K_Chalkboard]

Bro, imagine sweating DDR or Osu Mania with this crap. You're either going to be at the top 10, or bottom 10. There's no in between.

[AgilesRem]

i love how everyone looks the same and then theres david looking like he just start his first day of work at ltt in 2015

[Bluewirl]

“A more optimised layout that doesn’t even try to be qwerty […] something that puts all the vowels on your strongest fingers.”

Shout out to my Dvorak brothers and sisters.

[shawnjb]

As I watched this I was constantly thinking about my AZERON gaming pad, it’s not a typing keyboard by any means, being a controller snob, i haven’t gotten around to mastering it, but I can see it becoming second nature just as a controller is to me

[emperio]

Love the concept of ergo keyboards, I feel like each model is situational to each individual user, it would be great if they were more modular. Part of the reason I bought a 3d printer so I can start making my own ergo designs lol