“I Started Wearing My Keyboard” - A Surprisingly Comfortable Way To Type
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- I thought I would do a quick video looking at how I am currently using my keyboard as I find it a pretty good setup.
This is a setup that only really works I think with tiny case-less keyboards like the Ferris and GergoPlex.
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Sew the keeb into the pants, and then you can use the phrase "hold on let me get my typing pants". Worth it just for that I think
How would you wash the pants?
@@jixs4v why would anyone wash their typing pants?
:)
@@ivans3806 You guys, everyone's overlooking the obvious here - velcro. As Howard Hughes once said, it's... "the way of the future".
I left my keyboard in my other pants
For a topic that is so easy to fall into a point of pretentiousness, you do you a fantastic job of talking about this hobby in an inviting and intriguing way. Great vid!
flashforward 1 month = I self identify as my keyboard
flashforward 2 months = I started wearing Ben Vallack
😂😂😂
Bro we need VR space inclusion with pants keyboards too many opressive desks with PCs and desk keyboards
@@cybyrd9615 I guess it would be an amazing fit with glasses like EPSON Moverio BT-40 or Nreal Air. Game changer approach to the whole concept of the workstation as it supposed to be.
Hahaha, yeeeees! Oh man, this is fantastic! I love how you've actually gone full.. bonkers-mode, in a lack of better words, all the way from the Planck to this. Just beautiful stuff, man, love it.
Imagine being in a forest wearing a solar panel, computer, and keyboard. Your walking around the forest and coding at the same time. You use augmented reality or something to pin information and marks around the forest.
I have loved seeing the progression since the original Planck, but cmon man. xD Great video as always.
😂
Honestly, as a budding library delving historian, i think if i can get ahold of a gergoplex after i get colemak nailed down, this would be the perfect set up for me when working on research.
@@alexschexnayder8624 Colemak is awesome!
Ben Vallack out here double-handedly accelerating split keeb evolution
Brilliant. It's been so much fun to follow your keyboard adventures. Grateful for your content
This has been a fantastic journey! Can’t wait to see what’s on the horizon.
Next up: I implanted my keyboard into my thighs.
You have attained professor level quirkiness! You need more sweaters and a class to teach.
He needs a typing sweater, or perhaps a mouse/touchpad sweater, or video sweater as part of a total system.
The low-profile choc switches on the ferris is definitely one of the best easily accessbile options out there,
especially with the shorter travel distance than regular MX style switches on mechanical keyboards.
In terms of avoiding extension, pronation, and ulnar deviation, you've placed the keyboard in quite literally the best position possible for ergonomics especially when standing :) It even allows your shoulders to rest without shrugging them unnaturally, unlike a lot of placements on office chair armrests I've seen.
Have you considered adding a mini-trackball at the thumb cluster yet? It may allow you to remove the
apple trackpad entirely if you add a left click/right click/scroll toggle to the other hand's keys. I also assume this pairs nicely with mouse acceleration since its difficult to have a single preset sensitivity with both speed and precision with a ball of that size, cause those things are TINY.
You can also try adding magnets to replace the elastic bands, but that would require you to sew magnets on the insides of your pant legs or something haha. It might make your pants droop a bunch.
This video was fantastic, thanks for the content as always!
Would love a Thinkpad Track point style function on these
Aaaactually, if you slide a strong enough magnet down the inside of your pants that might be enough without sewing them in! 👖🧲⌨️
Aren't magnets a risk to the little memory drive chips? Maybe I'm retarded and don't fully understand.
@@thedog5k As for most technology, it depends on the placement and strength requirements of the magnets, to my understanding. The brains of the keyboard, the nicenano, only occupies a smaller amount of surface area on the inner side, leaving a lot of space beneath the main keyboard & switch area to place the magnets. The keyboard is also very light, so it should take minimal force to hold it in place. The nicenano only has 1MB of flash memory, so it's not like you're dealing with an entire data server or anything.
It seems as though the risk posed by magnets would be relatively low, especially since one of the primary functions of the nicenano microcontroller is to handle the bluetooth, a radio wave technology, which typically remains unaffected by static magnetic fields produced by the magnets.
Hope this helped.
I just had essentially this exact same idea! Cool to see someone already try it. I don't have a keyboard at the moment that really lends itself to doing this, but I definitely want to try it at some point.
Next video: I've moved the keyboard into my brain. Neural interface ftw \o/
Can’t wait to see your vim key remaps haha!
I thought you'd get to wireless eventually. This looks amazing
i get the feeling we aren't living in the same century anymore
fantastic and super interesting video. ideas for split keeb placement on legs:
1. velcro strip on back of keeb and one sowed onto or ironed onto the pants (not ideal)
2. if your pockets are a good hight, maybe a clip to the back of the keep and clip it to the top of your pocket
3. instead of the ribbons, there are these wider ribbon bands that either use a "click connector", or one of these things that bras use
and add something to the kb to attach to the ribbon band
Good stuff, I was thinking of sewing magnets into the fabric too.
@@BenVallack It might be simpler and more practical to make a keyboard belt with a single quick connect buckle and mounting sheets descending on each side.
The most challenging part is designing the side sheets so that once equipped, the keyboard parts remain static enough.
Much like the "typing pants" idea someone threw around in the comments, except you just have to clip a belt instead of donning actual trousers.
I used to try out the VR headset adapter for my phone. Very happy to hear You mention the VR experience here. Back then the whole VR thing was just too much for the bit of coding or text editing I wanted to do. The phone battery died too rapidly and the phone itself felt like melting in my face using the gyro and all the other features for let's say VR gaming that are unnecessary for my use case. But the idea to have the phone/VR adapter replace the laptop or pad all together is still very appealing. Resource hungry computations are outsourced by the network capabilities that modern phone inherit anyways. This would enable the user to turn even a crowded subway into a relatively calm isolated workplace, depending on the quality of noise cancelation headphones. With this setup in mind the progress You present on flexibilities of input periphery devices gives great confidence that this vision isn't too far fetched. I fear that the rubber band solution could be prone to blood flow suppression for at least some people since legs usually don't move too much during a coding session of some hours. The most common thing that all these solutions share is the proximity to the hands. So i always pictured the keyboard to be a split, ergonomically shaped device that is always kept in place close to the hands. I can imagine some sort of a wrist fixated arm extension or a skeleton glove which keep the keyboard parts in reach closely under or inside the hands. Given that, a lot of the requirements that You seek in a keyboard could be fulfilled. Just to name a few from some of Your videos: always having natural positioning of the hands relative to the keys, irrelevant body positioning like standing or sitting or lying, no need for a table or lap or any reference object since every part of the setup is attached to the own body, and portability: since phones are usually always with us the only additions are the VR adapter and flexible keyboard parts that by definition should be small in size to fit in, under or around a hand. Sorry for the wall of text. Thanks for Your great work on this field. Big fan.
Yeah the ’glove’ concept is very interesting. I’m do wonder if the issue will be getting something stable enough that is only attached to your hand, might have a little play! I also wonder if the thumb key might need to be on the back.
@@BenVallack Very true, the attachment would probably suffer from play. Thumb keys on the backside make sense. It will be interesting to see if someone comes up with a design that solves the play issue. For that reason i used to closely monitor the development of haptic VR gloves. They had commercials showing the ability to even feel raindrops on the hands. So I thought maybe these things could completely render keyboards unnecessary. In a way that some dynamic movement lockout mechanisms could simulate having a keyboard at hand. But unfortunately the industry doesn't seem to be developing into this direction.
I was swayed to the Gergoplex by your video but the creator is on hiatus right now so I decided to get the parts to build a Ferris instead. Glad to see you rate that one too!
I’m genuinely intrigued by what we’ll see in 5 or 6 videos. 🤔
I'd love for this setup with a clip belt from which the keyboard halves hang on stiff structures so that they don't move around to much. And an additional position for a trackpad. That combined with my standing desk+treadmill would be my dream workstation.
Very impressive. I've been (not intentionally) following your keyboard choices, first with an ergodox, then a corne, now a gergoplex but I couldn't get down to that few keys on the Ferris!
Fascinating and intriguing. If I spent more time typing (which I don't, since I don't have a desk job), I think this layout could be extremely beneficial.
Great. I always wanted to make a split wireless keyboard for using without flat surface. Thanks for telling that there is microcontroller for that, Will be investigating this more.
I will be looking more at that soon too.
currently looking at supine computing out of necessity and this is the best hack i have come across so far!
The phenomenon you are talking about at 3:04 is called proprioception. Your body always knows where its limbs are in relation to itself and other objects. You for example should never be surprised by your own hand, you always know it's your hand unless there is some damage between the sensory system (temporary like in the case of pins and needles) or the brains processing of that information such as when people are having strokes.
This is fun - reminds me of gargoyles from snow crash.
I've solved the desktop split keyboard issue by building a nice heavy structure from camera rig beams with small tripod mount ball joints on each side - similar to what you did in a previous video. But rather than individual tripods it's one large heavy structure that prevents movement on the desktop, feels solid, and like you said allows your brain to know exactly where the hand needs to come back to. I'm really loving it as a stable desktop solution.
Awesome
@@benisrood gladly - I wish youtube had a better mechanism for handling this kind of stuff. What I can do is put up a reddit post and link to that - how's that sound?
@@AdamHillikerLikesRobots I'd be interested in that as well
I love watching these videos. This is real pioneer work.
I love these videos. Would love to hear more about creative computer controls including voice and in VR 'office' (non-gaming) settings/functions.
I am thinking the very same thing once mine is here and I have successfully built it and got it working. Nice.
This was the next logical step…
😀
I'd be up to use this! I love that idea! I use my split keyboard but I'd love to be able to have something like this. I would love to type like this.
Of course I value your insights and I love getting to see someone experiment with their user interface like this...
But come on, man. You have to admit that the quest for your perfect ergonomics in a keyboard also kind of looks like a descent into madness. 😆
(Just got a kyria kit delivered today, by the way. I might not be so far behind you on the slippery slope...)
Hehe
*Starts typing in pockets.*
Great video! I'm almost done building my ferris and have been thinking about doing something like this. I'm considering getting the HTC Vive Flow headset to round out my ergo/portable setup.
Really good and practical video. Nice one!
"It's not as reliable as a USB connection"
Have you already tried adding `CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_PLUS_8=y` in your cradio.conf file?
I also had some lost inputs before and this completely fixed it for me.
Yep :)
great video as always. your journey has been awesome to watch. i stopped at the moonlander is it fits me. this leg mount thing you came up with is wild man. :D
Ok next video Ben will be wearing data gloves and VR headset.
I was watching your last video on the new pants (sorry trousers - Aussie here:/) and thought he’s going to whip a keyboard out at any second. And well, this video isn’t far from it!
I'm thinking an adjustable, somewhat elastic strap with e.g. a buckle connector would be a more durable, reliable option that doesn't lose the ability to adjust on the fly as with your elastics. And I'd think about including a magnet or some other kind of fastener on the keyboard itself so that the connection to the band can be super secure and not strain things like the switches directly. But overall I love this idea, and it's the first time that I've been partly convinced to look into wearability.
I was working myself on this some time ago, project's now on hold, so might as well share.
My solution is 3d printed drop-leg plates (like gun holsters). The kb would be secured to them with a built in twist-lock, male on the plates, female under the kb's bottom.
@@marcofumi7430 oh yeah that looks perfect! I don't know much about guns so I wasn't aware that you got "modular" type holster system things like this. It looks perfect
You know, when you got the Moonlander I wondered how long it would take for you to 3D print a Dactyl Manuform, but you have taken a completely different route.
I genuinely want to try this out!
Quick question, you only have 2 pinky keys, which ones are they and do you miss having a 3rd?
Down to a single pinkie key on my current layout!
I've been thinking for some time about wanting a lying-down solution. I've mostly imagined projection on the ceiling for that piece, and a split keyboard perhaps on my belly, though something like this might work well, too. Anyway, cool. And have you made the vid for this particular keyboard yet? Looks like you're down a few keys from the last thing I saw ("A Tiny, Ultra-Affordable...")??
I am experimenting with one of these amzn.to/3rgUQ6U for lying down. Works pretty well. I have various layouts - if you look around my GitHub repos you can see some of my experiments!
I've seen people use magsafe magnets and rings as a way to mount split ergos on the desk. Having the magsafe magnet on the thighs of the pants should work, just tie it with down with ribbons. This will also made it quick disconnect. (Any pair of magnets would work, magsafe made into all phones by apple makes it popular enough to be easily accessible.)
On the topic of VR/AR and ergonomics I would love a video from you trying the xreal air glasses.
Have you shared your latest QMK/ZMK configs yet for the gergoplex or ferris? I really liked your ideas around layers and avoiding multi key presses that we saw on some of your earlier moonlander videos.
+1 I'm interested in that as I need to improve my keymap
github.com/benvallack/zmk-config
@@BenVallack thank you very much
Thanks for sharing. Some nice ideas there. Would like to see a short video where you can talk about it a little bit more.
If anyone is being more radically innovative in the keyboard industry, I haven't seen it.
Ben the next bionic secret, I am serious is to maintain with a kind of pillowish material your arms, from the armpits, so that you get rid of the gravitational force. I am trying with blankets but I am still not there, makes a colossal change in focus. Also I am trying this setup, a carpet with a couch, you sit on the ground, with your back supported by the front side of the couch, I usually sit in the corner so that can use the left, side part of the couch, or also rest my elbow during compiling times, or while i see a tutorial.
Then an ergonomic pillow specific for sitting, because is painful otherwise sitting on the ground for one hour. I use an ikea table as a desk, the monitor is on the table, and the lower layer has the planck and a book that use to rest the wrists, sometimes i cross the leg in yoga kind of position and rest the forearms on my abductors and fix the planck between my calves, is really stable and I am now fluent to use the mouse when needed from the keyboard. My column spinal is straight in both the positions, the only issue are the children that jump on you and the wife that can spy you casually sitting beyind you. I solved the wife problem using Command line tool. Every hour I do a dip with the triceps, pointing the palms on the couch beyond and stand up five minutes. So far I am more than 12 hours productive, and put lately also a monitor on the table, I do not use anymore my ergonomic chair, and when want to relax I lay down on the couch a bit with 35-40 degrees back and watch some video. You can also eat.
Brilliant! Thanks for this, I will explore this further!
Ideas to try:
- undoable zipties (they make them)
- magnets in pockets (like with voyager)
The ideal worker drones. Imagine how many you can cram into an office if they all stand with their little VR-headsets and legboards on
😂
Actually had a similar idea, might be amazing for AR! I think that it might be a good idea to maybe mount them to your pockets
Seriously hope you follow up on that VR headset idea!
Interesting placement: in the middle of the table right in front of you
I would say consider magnets inside pocket and on the phone case, because the elastics might put you at slightly higher risk for clots
When we all start wearing AR glasses that look like sunglasses, people are gonna start wondering what you're doing down there.
Looks like ferris is getting more attention, my board and switches came today so just need batteries and I will build my own 😁
I use the keymouse trackball. I have custom 3d printed arm rests (based on a scan of my right arm) and the split keyboard track ball combo is mounted to the end of each arm rest. For travel I have a wooden planks that sits over my legs and the keyboard halves hang over the side of my legs
If only trackpoint modules were easier to get ahold of, then we could have a mouse integrated near perfectly!
I have a playlist for nitpicky workflow hacks full of Arduino stuff titled “an absolute madman”. This video fit right in there.
Haha!
Before you posted this video I watched a sci-fi post-apocalyptic movie (youTube? Netflix? Prime Video? I lost track, several years old) where the main character wore pants that incorporated a keyboard he used to control remote-controlled bulldozers for the government that existed, from his isolated living pod. The differences are these pants had what was clearly not a mechanical keyboard, and it wasn’t adjustable, and was a full-sized keyboard.
You are living a better version of a bad sci-fi movie, and I’m heavily amused to see you do this. Frankly, I’m considering doing the bean bag bit with my Ergodox, having 5 years ago gone through PT for shoulders after decades of typing, etc. and being too wide for a standard keyboard to not result in something giving into decay.
I would ask people: what looks sillier, someone all hunched over and literally bent out of shape from long-term bad keyboard/typing ergonomics, or someone in the correct shape wearing keyboard halves?
I would also note that if done right, say, via HoloLens, you could walk while you work, walking around outside, so you’d get lots of work done in more ways than one. Even with PT, I’ll never fully get back to an ideal condition, so I’d love to do what’s feasible to avoid repeating the injurious patterns. Keyboards are cheap in comparison, and also being a software developer for my career, something I can’t feasibly avoid massive repeated and sustained use of.
Just a thought, while you’re going down this path: leggings work well for stretchiness over a large surface area: if you had a pattern of velcro dots for the furry side on the leggings and the prickly side on the back of the keyboard halves, that would provide a rather secure adjustable solution. If not velcro, then magnets. Are you open to such an experiment?
Brilliant thanks! Yep I am keen to experiment with the Velcro idea.
ok, keyboard pants gets a sub
This with NReal Air glasses... would be quite an interesting sight for the average person lol.
I'd love to use that combo in public transport.
You know what would be cool if you can use the keyboard in two-handed mode, but also in one handed mode where you would use lip reading plus one handed typing
My mans turned himself into Inumuta from Kill La Kill.
I just got a Ferris Sweep and some Nice!nano's so I'm definitely giving this a try, looks super comfy!
"The next step from obsession is embodiment"
I'd be interested in having the two keyboard halves in hoodie pockets... While you wouldn't be able to use a mouse (unless someone integrates a Thinkpad style nipple mouse or a trackball? into a split keyboard) I feel that would be really comfortable sitting or standing.
Also, I don't think that I have heard you talk about VR before, is that something that you play around with often?
There are such components out there. There is a mini-trackball that can be soldered onto a lot of different boards that would help with that. There is one that even had the miniature trackpad thingy from the old palm os phone... or maybe it was the blackberry line that was like that Thinkpad size, but you'd be able to swipe across it rather then just pressing down and hoping you don't end up with Mario party like injuries on your thumb. So, I bet someone clever could hack a mini trackball into the ferris and replace one of the two thumb keys for that.
I'm enjoying your content quite a lot. Simple, neat, nice. *subs*
Welcome!
Ha nice I'm not alone! This is exactly what I told a friend I will do when I build my split-kb (Sweep or "A. Dux"), I even made a picture to show my intention but he didn't really get it. I had the idea with VR in mind, where it would be really handy to have a real keyboard somewhere. But also for the mobile experience, why sitting in front of a desk at home when I could also get a much comfier or ergonomic position.
A.dux is a really beautiful bit of work.
With additional modifier key on butt plug we could get extra kbd layer AND do kegel exercises at the same time. Then all we need to do is to strip the top row.
Lol
Very interesting! But out of interest, what is the end goal e.g. to type faster, to be more comfortable, to be portable, to be able to write/code with a keyboard a phone when on a sun-lounger on a beach , etc.?
You need to find a good integrated mouse option for the keyboard to really never move your hands, like a track ball in the keyboard
I thought it was an April fools.. color me impressed
Yes. Yes. Yes. I'm thinking maybe Velcro on an elastic Velcro strap
would be great to build a trackpoint device into wearable keyboard. have you experimented with VR displays? you could be in a total lounge position outdoors and be able to do work
have you thought about combining it with xreal air glasses and a phone with a DE(linux or android)? this way you could have an entire mobile setup.
Heinrich Lunge from "Monster" (2004) would have loved this.
The title of this video makes me want to (in an endearing way) call you a nerd.
im not sure how you have coded after you went wireless but maby looking in to esp32 and esp-now to connect the both half in a secure way and then use bluetooth against the computer/phone or connect them separatly directly against the computer/phone
I think a velcro strap would keep it nice and snug as well as last longer
When I'm using a VR set whilst lying down, I don't need a keyboard to keep my hands busy
That said, I have ordered two pro micros and lots of tiny non-keyboard buttons. Two reasons: I want to prototype before building an actual kbd, second: what if typing on tiny buttons is actually better than full size keys? Esp given that my hands are on the small side
I know you're a big fan of Apple products but this sounds like an excellent solution to use with something like Samsung DEX.
DEX lets you connect your phone/tablet (wired or wirelessly) to a screen. Instead of being a simple screen mirror it actually launches something approximating a desktop environment. You can have multiple applications running and move/resize them just like you would in a standard desktop environment.
On top of that you can get a full linux environment up and running through DEX so you can get standard linux applications as well.
Imagine walking around with just your phone or tablet, a usb-c to hdmi cable (incase the screen doesn't support wireless connections), and your split keyboard. You have a full work environment wherever you are!
Very interesting thanks!
Congrats on your first step towards the cyborg-era! Now you need some kind of head mounted display ! :)
How about instead of ribbons, using a belt? Kinda like those that mechanics have where they put there screwdrivers and whatnot. That'd be much easier to put on - and also I like the meta of putting on a toolbelt.
Arm mount behind bed, monitor over face. Sternum typing, wave of the future. Try it out.
velcro could be a good solution I think
What about strapping to your upper arms, instead? Seems easier to pull on and off and more comfortable to wear all day.
I kinda thought about places where you could build a keyboard into. Esp with something like gboards ginny . Where your hands rest for longer times and you might want to type sth like bike grips or a car wheel.
Why not have a keyboard shaped more like a joystick that you can hold in any way...
Yeah there are some fun things to think about.
You might enjoy looking at the tap keyboard.
Why not use velcro? A weak one so less chance of yank damage
A advantage of smaller keyboard. Lighter, and smaller item to attach to something.
There's a guy on twitter who uses a UHK velcroed to his legs, I believe he's modified a cheap toolbelt or harness for it.
I wonder if you couldn't do something similar with flat magnets in your pockets and the keyboard bottom? Maybe from a couple of those magnetic car phone holders.
You could have a kind of apron with a pocket for the tablet that doubles as a bag for the kit.
Add AR glasses like Nreal Air or Rokid and your gold
I kind of expected this video as the next logical step from the last keyboard video. 😄
One issue untouched by this video is ergonomics. I wonder, since most people advocate your elbows should be at a 90 degree angle for the most ergonomic typing position, is this posture with “open elbows” healthy? How does it affect your shoulders and your upper body? Can you notice any difference?
I think that 90 degree thing is only suggested just as a way to make sure people‘s hands weren’t changing angle when they got to the keyboard on a desk, which is fine, but I don’t think there is any reason this leg setup is bad as long as the keyboard is inline with your arms.
You should get a Ferris Sweep. It is like the Gergo but 34 keys, however the sweep version uses a seperate micro controller. Why do I reccomend it? Because you can use it with Nice!Nanos to be fully wireless, not cables at all.
This is a Ferris Sweep in this video :) (I took a few keys off it!)
Also I changed the artwork and cutout shape
Have you tried attaching them via magnets in your pockets.
Hmm. How about keyboard sholderpads? But perhaps typing with your arms folded wouldn't be comfortable for long, would be rad looking though
Non-keyboard question - any chance you could say what the triple spotlight floor standing studio lighting you're using is in this video? Would love a set like that. I noticed the studio lighting you've linked in the description isn't quite the same one (or is it?) - it's the floor standing triple spot I've been looking for.
That’s a lamp from IKEA. Only used for background really.
what if you attach them on arms with a mesh like material that holds the board like that, only if you could unwear easily?
Of course.
What about putting magnetics in your pocket and a magnet on the back of the keyboard, that way it's snap off and snap on without cords wires? Do you think that would work?
Oh, man... This with something like Google Glass would be awesome!