Difference between revisions of "Chorded Keyboard"
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"Twiddler was one of the first components I bought when designing my wearable computer. After six years of everyday use, I wouldn't think of using a wearable without one. The convenience and ergonomic benefits become apparent with long-term use. In fact, for the last two years, the Twiddler and my wearable computer have replaced my desktop (e.g. my PhD thesis was written with the Twiddler). | "Twiddler was one of the first components I bought when designing my wearable computer. After six years of everyday use, I wouldn't think of using a wearable without one. The convenience and ergonomic benefits become apparent with long-term use. In fact, for the last two years, the Twiddler and my wearable computer have replaced my desktop (e.g. my PhD thesis was written with the Twiddler). | ||
| − | When starting the MIT Wearable Computing Project, I issued every member a Twiddler as their primary text input device. With starting another group at Georgia Tech focused on wearable computing, I've just placed an order for 10 more Twiddler 1's. We've seen typing speeds of 60 words per minute, and an undergraduate has reported speeds up to 30 words a minute with only a weekend of practice. More generally, new users can learn the alphabet in 5 minutes and can be touch typing in an hour. Though it takes time for the fingers to "loosen up" to accomodate the new motion (much like learning to play an instrument or learning how to type on a desktop), many new users are up to 10 words a minute with a weekend's worth of practice, and current non-touch typists remark that it is easier than learning the desktop QWERTY keyboard". - [[Thad Starner]], Professor at Georgia Tech and former [[MIT Media Lab]]. | + | When starting the [[MIT Wearable Computing Project]], I issued every member a Twiddler as their primary text input device. With starting another group at Georgia Tech focused on wearable computing, I've just placed an order for 10 more Twiddler 1's. We've seen typing speeds of 60 words per minute, and an undergraduate has reported speeds up to 30 words a minute with only a weekend of practice. More generally, new users can learn the alphabet in 5 minutes and can be touch typing in an hour. Though it takes time for the fingers to "loosen up" to accomodate the new motion (much like learning to play an instrument or learning how to type on a desktop), many new users are up to 10 words a minute with a weekend's worth of practice, and current non-touch typists remark that it is easier than learning the desktop QWERTY keyboard". - [[Thad Starner]], Professor at Georgia Tech and former [[MIT Media Lab]]. |
"I'd like to say that I have been very happy with the Twiddler. I've been tinkering with wearable computers for some 15 years now, and never come across a better input device. I've designed and built a number of input devices from microswitches and the like -- before the Twiddler was being manufactured, but I really do like the Twiddler, despite its 1 or 2 shortcomings. It gives me the same sense of tactile feedback that I get from a high quality microswitch, enabling me to control various kinds of apparatus without my needing to pay full attention to the screen...If you need any ``testimonials'' from an experienced tinkerer, designer, builder, and user of wearable computing, I'd be happy to recommend Twiddler to wearable computer users, over and above voice (or certainly at least in addition to), eye movement trackers, and all of the other ways of controlling computers or external devices". - [[Steve Mann]], Professor, University of Toronto, Electrical Engineering Dept. | "I'd like to say that I have been very happy with the Twiddler. I've been tinkering with wearable computers for some 15 years now, and never come across a better input device. I've designed and built a number of input devices from microswitches and the like -- before the Twiddler was being manufactured, but I really do like the Twiddler, despite its 1 or 2 shortcomings. It gives me the same sense of tactile feedback that I get from a high quality microswitch, enabling me to control various kinds of apparatus without my needing to pay full attention to the screen...If you need any ``testimonials'' from an experienced tinkerer, designer, builder, and user of wearable computing, I'd be happy to recommend Twiddler to wearable computer users, over and above voice (or certainly at least in addition to), eye movement trackers, and all of the other ways of controlling computers or external devices". - [[Steve Mann]], Professor, University of Toronto, Electrical Engineering Dept. | ||
Revision as of 17:48, 14 May 2010
The Twiddler is the name of a one-handed chording USB keyboard produced by the Handykey corporation.
"Twiddler was one of the first components I bought when designing my wearable computer. After six years of everyday use, I wouldn't think of using a wearable without one. The convenience and ergonomic benefits become apparent with long-term use. In fact, for the last two years, the Twiddler and my wearable computer have replaced my desktop (e.g. my PhD thesis was written with the Twiddler).
When starting the MIT Wearable Computing Project, I issued every member a Twiddler as their primary text input device. With starting another group at Georgia Tech focused on wearable computing, I've just placed an order for 10 more Twiddler 1's. We've seen typing speeds of 60 words per minute, and an undergraduate has reported speeds up to 30 words a minute with only a weekend of practice. More generally, new users can learn the alphabet in 5 minutes and can be touch typing in an hour. Though it takes time for the fingers to "loosen up" to accomodate the new motion (much like learning to play an instrument or learning how to type on a desktop), many new users are up to 10 words a minute with a weekend's worth of practice, and current non-touch typists remark that it is easier than learning the desktop QWERTY keyboard". - Thad Starner, Professor at Georgia Tech and former MIT Media Lab.
"I'd like to say that I have been very happy with the Twiddler. I've been tinkering with wearable computers for some 15 years now, and never come across a better input device. I've designed and built a number of input devices from microswitches and the like -- before the Twiddler was being manufactured, but I really do like the Twiddler, despite its 1 or 2 shortcomings. It gives me the same sense of tactile feedback that I get from a high quality microswitch, enabling me to control various kinds of apparatus without my needing to pay full attention to the screen...If you need any ``testimonials from an experienced tinkerer, designer, builder, and user of wearable computing, I'd be happy to recommend Twiddler to wearable computer users, over and above voice (or certainly at least in addition to), eye movement trackers, and all of the other ways of controlling computers or external devices". - Steve Mann, Professor, University of Toronto, Electrical Engineering Dept.
An Empirical Study of Typing Rates on mini-QWERTY Keyboards (CHI. Portland, OR. April 2005)
Source: Mobile Entry - Contextual Computing Group - College of Computing - Georgia Institute of Technology
Also see: Thad Starner
