With
this software installed, all the keys on your keyboard will retain
their original function, unless you depress the space bar: this re-maps
the keyboard in a mirror image. In other words, keys of the typing
hand are typed as before, but if you hold down the space bar and hit
a key, it will generate a character corresponding to that finger of
the other hand. For example, if you are typing with your left hand
and want an "f" you just hit that key, but if you want a
"j" you hold down the space bar and hit the "f".
Now
you can perform typing jobs with just one hand, which frees your other
hand for manipulating the mouse. The technique is particularly useful
for text editing jobs, which otherwise require extensive hand movements
between keyboard and mouse. It also allows disabled persons to type
one-handed without additional equipment.
Matias
has also developed a prototype of a half-keyboard with full-sized
keys, which straps to your wrist. A computer that is worn, rather
than carried, has significant advantages for data collection "in
the field". By eliminating infrequently used keys (e.g., the
number keys) and reducing the size of the space bar, a Half-QWERTY
keyboard was made small enough to wear on the wrist of the dominant
hand. With an LCD screen worn on the other wrist, the resulting posture
allows you to type and view the display simultaneously (picture above).
©1995
It'sNEW!
April 1995, p. 32.
