This is a presentation I made a while ago to talk about keyboard ergonomics and to share an approach I used to create a keyboard designed for 3D-printing by using laser-cut acrylic.

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Here's that keyboard. This probably looks weird to you so the next few slides will explain why familiar isn't always good.

Classic

• Bulky
• Asymmetric nonsense
• Right hand pinky torture

Staggered rows of keys were necessary in typewriters due to their mechanical arms but that restriction doesn't exist with computer keyboards.

Apple

• Compactish
• Same non-ergonomic layout

Hold two keys on your keyboard to display their distance on screen. Some keys (like "6") are meant to be pressed by the right index finger even though you can reach it more easily with the left.

Split

• Layout is still bad
• Angle avoids ulnar deviation
• Can avoid pronation by tenting

Split keyboards solve a lot of problems and are available from many vendors but all too often they still use staggered rows.

Ergodox

• Thumb powers, activate
• Staggered column layout
  • Less reaching for shorter fingers
  • Less lateral finger movement

Here's an example of staggered columns that better match differing finger lengths, and thumb clusters to alleviate the stress put on weaker pinky fingers.

Dactyl

• What if keyboards, but 3D?
• Curved rows to avoid pronation
• Curved columns to avoid stretching

The Dactyl is an open-source 3D printable keyboard that was the basis for this project.

A collection of 2D pieces I had designed to be laser cut from acrylic and slot together to form the structure of the keyboard.

Fin.

Demonstrating personal projects like this is an important way for me to share a little of myself with big groups (like my co-workers). Usually this sharing happens at the end of the project, but in this case it was before I could even test the laser-cutting so there was an extra feeling of vulerability. Also this background animation was a lot of fun to make.