Draft:Svalboard

INCOMPLETE DRAFT, needs citations

Svalboard is part of the Datahand family of ergonomic keyboards, which aim to reduce carpal tunnel inflammation and other repetitive strain injuries by bringing keys closer to the fingertips, isolating the wrists, and utilizing ultra low-force magnetic key mechanisms with 5 keys around each fingertip and thumb.

In addition to the core Datahand architecture, Svalboard adds a per-finger fitment system to the Datahand architecture, allowing the user to fit individual finger anatomy by positioning each cluster in X, Y, Z, roll and yaw. It also supports multiple key widths to position the keys at the users preferred distance from the fingertips depending on fingertip size.

Svalboard also adds modern pointing device support, including trackpoint and trackball positioned directly at the users fingertips to eliminate the need to reach for a mouse.

Claimed Advantages
Svalboard operates on the same basic principles as Datahand, reducing inflammation due to overuse via:


 * reduction in finger work per keystroke (cite substack)
 * reduced/eliminated wrist motion/arm motion and muscle activation (cite datahand)
 * the ability to rest the arms and upper body completely during typing without causing pressure on nerves in the wrists or hands (cite datahand)
 * ability to handle pointing tasks without moving the hand to a mouse (cite datahand)
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20080509062820if_/http://www.datahand.com/studies/briefsum.htm
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20080509062820if_/http://www.datahand.com/studies/harrington.htm
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20080509062820if_/http://www.datahand.com/studies/speedstudy.htm
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20080509062820if_/http://www.datahand.com/studies/satisfaction2.htm
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20080509062820if_/http://www.datahand.com/studies/prdctvstudy.htm
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20080704103843if_/http://www.datahand.com/flashsite/stanford1.html

Drawbacks
Svalboard shares the Datahand architecture's drawbacks, specifically:


 * Inability to strike a key without first landing the hand on the device
 * Some users, especially those with mobility constraints from trauma, find the lateral key motions uncomfortable
 * Bulkiness