Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were any postural, performance and perceived comfort differences between a conventional, straight keyboard and a new ergonomic keyboard design developed by Logitech called the Wave. Twenty experienced touch typists from various occupations randomly used each keyboard for a period of 30 minutes. Wrist and forearm postures; typing speed and accuracy; comfort and keyboard preferences were evaluated before and after using each keyboard. Compared to the conventional, straight keyboard, the Wave Keyboard reduced wrist extension by 4.6 ± 1.5° (p < 0.01), ulnar deviation by 1.8 ± 0.7° (p = 0.02) and forearm pronation by 1.3 ± 0.7° (p = 0.08). There were small differences in typing speed (47.2 vs 45.6 WPM; p = 0.02) and no differences in accuracy (94.1% vs. 94.0%, p = 0.78) between the Wave and conventional, straight keyboard, respectively. Subjective comfort ratings were higher in the hand (p = 0. 02) and forearm (p = 0.03), and 85% of the subjects preferred the Wave Keyboard after 30 minutes of use. The results indicate that the Wave Keyboard achieved its design goal of reducing wrist extension, ulnar deviation and forearm pronation while improving comfort and not compromising typing speed and accuracy.
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