A small group of us (Kiwi software geeks) have been working on this series of split contoured keyboards for the last 6 years. We all had RSI, and all were intimately familiar with Kinesis Advantage. Although Kinesis Advantage was the best ergonomic keyboard in the market 6 years ago, we were not entirely happy and we decided to make our “perfect” split contoured keyboard.
The foundational ergonomic design of Glove80 was finalized about 5 years ago. It is the result of 500+ ergonomics A/B test experiments and prototypes. We had to come up with an innovative prototyping process to make this number of tests possible; which is documented at [1] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/repetitive-strain-injury-rsi-...
Although it’s superficially similar to the upcoming split Advantage360 (based on published renders, ergonomically appears to be based on Advantage/Advantage2), during the development of Glove80, we re-think, re-evaluate, and re-invent every part of the contoured keyboard. Some of these ergonomic changes are subtle but some are more obvious. Here are some examples:
- The thumb cluster is an innovative curved 2-row 6 key design, with each row at a different height. All 6 thumb keys are easily accessible
- The pinkie columns have been completely redesigned so that they work for people with short pinkies and long pinkies
- The top row keys are new, but are easily accessible for the majority of users
- The bottom row keys are made easier to reach and press
- The outer index column keys are easier to reach and press
Other key features of Glove80
- Glove80 is wireless (Bluetooth LE)
- Glove80 has 80 accessible keys, including the F-keys
- Glove80 is designed to be travel friendly. It is compact and light. The palm rest can be detached. Glove80 is 600g, compared with Advantage360's 1.45kg
- Glove80 is low profile. The top of the keycap of the lowest key sits only 20mm off the table. Low-profile is important for ergonomics and allows Glove80 to fit a wider range of desk heights
- Glove80 has a continuously adjustable tenting system; Advantage360 has 3 tenting positions
- All keys on Glove80 share the same keycap profile, which means the labelled keycaps can be freely rearranged to suit different layouts, including Colemak and DVORAK.
- Glove80 provides options for linear, tactile and clicky switches
- If you want to choose a different type of keyswitch, Glove80 has a switches-not-soldered option
- Glove80 supports custom mounting
- Glove80 has individually addressable RGB LEDs beneath the keys
- Glove80’s PCB has break out for 4 GPIO lines for electronic hackers to extend the hardware features
The foundational ergonomic design of Glove80 was finalized about 5 years ago. It is the result of 500+ ergonomics A/B test experiments and prototypes. We had to come up with an innovative prototyping process to make this number of tests possible; which is documented at [1] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/repetitive-strain-injury-rsi-...
Although it’s superficially similar to the upcoming split Advantage360 (based on published renders, ergonomically appears to be based on Advantage/Advantage2), during the development of Glove80, we re-think, re-evaluate, and re-invent every part of the contoured keyboard. Some of these ergonomic changes are subtle but some are more obvious. Here are some examples:
- The thumb cluster is an innovative curved 2-row 6 key design, with each row at a different height. All 6 thumb keys are easily accessible
- The pinkie columns have been completely redesigned so that they work for people with short pinkies and long pinkies
- The top row keys are new, but are easily accessible for the majority of users
- The bottom row keys are made easier to reach and press
- The outer index column keys are easier to reach and press
[2] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ergonomic-design-glove80-spli... gives an overview of the Glove80 ergonomic design
Other key features of Glove80 - Glove80 is wireless (Bluetooth LE)
- Glove80 has 80 accessible keys, including the F-keys
- Glove80 is designed to be travel friendly. It is compact and light. The palm rest can be detached. Glove80 is 600g, compared with Advantage360's 1.45kg
- Glove80 is low profile. The top of the keycap of the lowest key sits only 20mm off the table. Low-profile is important for ergonomics and allows Glove80 to fit a wider range of desk heights
- Glove80 has a continuously adjustable tenting system; Advantage360 has 3 tenting positions
- All keys on Glove80 share the same keycap profile, which means the labelled keycaps can be freely rearranged to suit different layouts, including Colemak and DVORAK.
- Glove80 provides options for linear, tactile and clicky switches
- If you want to choose a different type of keyswitch, Glove80 has a switches-not-soldered option
- Glove80 supports custom mounting
- Glove80 has individually addressable RGB LEDs beneath the keys
- Glove80’s PCB has break out for 4 GPIO lines for electronic hackers to extend the hardware features
- Opensource ZMK
Please also see [3] https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/933641217596604426/93... for further comparisons between Glove80 and other ergonomic keyboards, including Moonlander and Advantage360.