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The Nine Key Ergonomic Advantages of the DataHand® Ergonomic Keyboard - Proven
Productivity Improvement* and Pain Relief**
Proper ergonomics maximize people's ability to work comfortably. Most traditional keyboards and most ergonomic keyboards
require awkward patterns of user adaptation, stressful motion, unnatural positioning, and inefficient hand movement. Productivity is impaired; discomfort is virtually inevitable.
The DataHand system overcomes these shortcomings.
By adapting the keyboard design to the user's hands rather than expecting the worker to adapt to the keyboard, comfort
and efficiency are improved.
DataHand® ergonomic keyboards are unique because they are designed around the shape of the human hand.
Work is performed while the hand is in a natural and restful position.
DataHand® ergonomic keyboards meet all nine of the following important ergonomic criteria:
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Repetition
1
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Other keyboards require 100% repetitive downward pecking motions. This stress often results in user discomfort and
injury.
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The DataHand® keyboard offers proprietary five-key finger modules dividing the finger’s
workload among five unique keys. Typing is performed by moving fingers a small distance in one of five directions: north, south, east, west and straight down. Repetitive finger
motion is reduced by up to 80%.
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Workload
2
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Other keyboards require the fingers to do excessive and unnecessarily demanding work each time a key is actuated. At
the end of an average eight-hour workday, the fingers have walked 16 miles over the keys and have expended energy equal to the lifting of 1 1/4 tons.
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DataHand® keyboards
reduce both the force required to move the keys and the travel distance; total finger work is reduced by 80%.
80% reduction in repetition
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+80% reduction in work
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=96% reduction in repetitive stress exposure
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Tunnel
Use
3
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Other keyboards require a downward pecking motion of the fingers. This motion relies on muscles whose tendons pass
through the carpal tunnel. Pain can result—especially in the carpal tunnel area.
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DataHand® keyboards
use muscles with short tendons which do not pass through the carpal tunnel in performing two out of five motions. Even when tendons passing through the carpal tunnel are used,
less finger travel and less work is demanded.
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Hand
Tension
4
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Other keyboards require users to maintain their hands in a flattened position. This constant tension can aggravate
repetitive stress injury.
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DataHand® keyboards
allow the hands to work in a natural, relaxed position. The result is reduced tension and increased comfort.
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Wrist Bend
5
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Other keyboards require significant wrist bend. With the arms in a "praying mantis" position, the wrists are bent
back as the fingers address the keys. The carpal tunnel is crimped like a garden hose. Both the bend and the crimp can contribute to discomfort and injury.
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DataHand® keyboards allow users' wrists to remain straight both vertically and horizontally. Unwanted
wrist bends are eliminated 100%.
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Upper
Body
Support
6
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Other keyboards permit limited hand support because the hands must be free to move. The upper body must be supported
in large measure by spinal compression and muscular tension.
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DataHand® keyboards
fully support both hands. Because the DataHand® system eliminates hand movement, the arms can also rest comfortably on chair arm rests. Tension and stress in the
muscles of the back, shoulders, and arms are greatly relieved. Users can sit in a variety of positions while typing. The arms can be closer or farther apart, or even at an
angle. Variation of body position during work further reduces fatigue and increases comfort.
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Wrist
Pronation
7
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Other keyboards require the user to use static muscular tension to twist the hands into an uncomfortable
"pronated" position—with the index finger at the same height as the little finger.
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DataHand® keyboards
enable the complete elimination of uncomfortable hand pronation.
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Wrist
Motion
8
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Other keyboards require as much as 40 degrees of wrist motion (left and right), particularly when reaching the
cursor control or numeric keypad. Conventional mouse use also requires wrist motion. Wrist motion requires compression and decompression of the soft tissues, tendons, median
nerve, and blood vessels, especially in the carpal tunnel. Discomfort and injury may result.
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The DataHand® keyboard
is the only unchorded keyboard and mouse replacement that does not require movement of the wrist. Wrist motion is eliminated 100%.
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Touch
Typeability
9
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Other keyboards make touch typing all of the keys very difficult. Productivity is reduced. Mental workload and
psychological stress are increased. These factors contribute to fatigue and injury.
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DataHand® keyboards
increase productivity and reduce both mental workload and psychological stress. Hands work in a natural, relaxed position supported by ergonomically correct palm
supports.
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* Studies performed by the Evers, Koon Group, Phoenix, Arizona and other independent corporate evaluators
** Study performed by Harrington Arthritis Research Center of St. Luke’s Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona
For more information on these studies, see Studies page of this website.
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