Wearable computing and one handed key-boards

December 16, 2005 12:05 PM

I'm interested in wearable computing and am curious if anyone has any resources for information. More importantly, I'm wanting to get a one handed keyboard. I've seen the Frogpad but would like to know all of my options. I'm preferablly looking for something bluetooth that can be used with my Blackberry. Thanks in advance.
posted by Knigel to computers & internet (8 comments total)

I've been hoping the chordite would become an off-the-shelf product for several years now but you can always build your own...
posted by jacobsee at 12:40 PM on December 16, 2005

How about this?

It was used by one of my professors at Georgia Tech (who specializes in computational interfaces, including wearable computing), and he seemed quite proficient with it.

more info..
posted by helios at 1:01 PM on December 16, 2005

My primary field of study is wearable computing. Specifically, organic interface designs (not "organic" like spliced into your nerves, but "organic" like seamlessly integrated into your standard operating procedure).

As it stands, the Frogpad is my recommendation if you're actually planning on doing significant text entry. The chording keyboards really do slow you way down, and while they're a better solution for triggering discrete actions (launching programs, recording GPS waypoints, etc.) they're abysmal at arbitrary text entry.

If you're into wearables, I'm sure you've already seen the repository at wearables.blu.org. If not, have a look at it. There's lots of neat stuff there, even if it is a little out of date.
posted by Netzapper at 1:23 PM on December 16, 2005

For some background you might want to lookup Steve Mann "the Grandfather of Wearable Computing".
posted by Mr T at 1:28 PM on December 16, 2005

Does the frogpad work alright with a Linux command line?

By this, I mean a slightly larger set of characters than typing an email or some such.
posted by adamwolf at 1:31 PM on December 16, 2005

I second the Twiddler recommendation. I have one (though I never built a wearable computer to use it with), and it's fairly comfortable and ergonomic. If you do get a Twiddler, you might prefer Brandon Rhodes's Tabspace key layout to the default alphabetical key layout.

I don't think there is a Twiddler that supports Bluetooth out-of-the-box, unfortunately.
posted by bpt at 2:04 PM on December 16, 2005

adamwolf: It emulates a complete keyboard (minus the function F-keys). I regularly use emacs with it, although I'm about two-hundred times slower with the Frogpad versus a standard keyboard or my TouchStream LP (due, primarily, to the number of keypresses necessary to get a sequence like "C-x C-S C-x C-c" out). Aside from oh-my-god-I-need-this-Python-script-now style hacks, I sure as shit wouldn't program with it.
posted by Netzapper at 3:20 PM on December 16, 2005

Wearable research at MIT.
posted by breath at 3:22 PM on December 16, 2005