Alternate keyboards are designed to prevent muscle strain caused by the flat layout of standard keyboards. Designs include split keyboards, tent keyboards, adjustable negative slope keyboards, and those with integrated cuffs and palms. Some have differently positioned keys to straighten fingers or a concave cockpit fingerboard.
An alternate keyboard is any type of computer keyboard that has been redesigned to prevent muscle strain. The flat layout of a standard computer keyboard can cause some users to place their hands and wrists in unnatural or awkward positions that can potentially lead to musculoskeletal injuries. Alternate keyboards come in a variety of designs to alter the positioning of a user’s wrists and hands to ensure they remain straight while typing.
A common alternative keyboard design is the split keyboard. A split keyboard is specifically designed to straighten a user’s wrists by separating the keys across the middle. Some split keyboards keep the same layout as a standard keyboard, but divide the keys into two sections with a blank area in the center. Other split keyboard designs also rotate the bottom two portions of each of the sections to mimic forearm alignment.
Tent keyboards are an alternative keyboard design that work similar to split keyboards. The keyboard is split vertically in the center. The outer sides of each fingerboard section remain attached to the base, while the centers are pulled up to meet in the center to give a tent shape. The elevation of the keys is intended to straighten the wrists of people who might bend their wrists sharply on a flat keyboard.
An adjustable negative slope keyboard keeps the key layout the same as a standard keyboard, but allows the user to lift the front of the keyboard vertically. Users can also bend the back of the keyboard to point slightly downwards. Standard keyboards tend to be completely level, but the adjustable negative slope keyboard is designed to move in any way to match how a user’s wrists bend or turn.
Some alternative keyboards feature integrated cuffs and palms to prevent users from bending their wrists. Promoters of built-in wrist and palm pads believe the pads can relieve pressure on the upper back and shoulders. Pads can cause typing difficulties for some people and can potentially increase wrist pain if not placed correctly.
When typing on an upright keyboard, a person may stiffly curl their fingers. To relax your fingers, an alternative keyboard might have differently positioned keys to straighten your fingers as you type. An alternative keyboard with a concave cockpit fingerboard places the keys towards the center of the table in a slight indentation to straighten the fingers. A curved fingerboard spaces the individual keys in an arc shape that mimics the shape of the hands instead of the standard straight, rectangular placement of conventional keyboards.
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