While typing may seem second nature to most, it can be extremely difficult or even impossible for individuals suffering from hand mobility issues or those without hands. For these individuals, modern advancements in speech-to-text may serve as a strong secondary option; however, manual typing may allow for higher accuracy, speed, and more control over what is being written. Additionally, it can be frustrating to constantly speak your thoughts out loud, and some people may prefer manual typing over having to be reliant on more technology and programs. Especially for the elderly, to whom technology may not come as naturally, it can be difficult and confusing to learn how to use applications like speech-to-text, whereas most people are much more familiar with a traditional keyboard.
Disorders that can cause extreme mobility issues in the arms and hands include carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, tenosynovitis (trigger finger), Dupuytren’s disease, ganglion cysts, and more (“5 common hand disorders and their treatments,” 2020). In the United States alone, 53.2 million people, or 21.2% of all adults, reported arthritis in 2013, and it is one of the leading causes of work disability (“Arthritis,” 2023). Arthritis can cause pain in the joints, making it hard to perform everyday tasks without pain. Common forms of arthritis, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis, usually target joints in the hand and wrist (“Arthritis of the hand,” 2021). For many individuals suffering from these diseases, typing can be a very painful and daunting task, leaving them to rely heavily on speech-to-text applications, which can be frustrating and inaccurate at times.
When conducting research on potential clients and issues that they may face with typing, we came across a post on Reddit of an individual who suffers from hand mobility issues and auditory issues, making speech-to-text an unsuitable application. This individual posted looking for advice on keyboards that would help them type, saying,
“I have two conditions that affect my arms (tendinosis) and my ears (hyperacusis), so I can't tolerate my own voice and I can't type all day long, though I can usually go an hour or so typing before my arms give out.
I have to write for a living. Aside from tech to read our minds, as I'm sure I could never afford that if it is a thing, are there any other options? Maybe something that uses the hands but is less taxing on the wrist muscles as traditional keyboards? Footpedal takes way too long. Anything else?”
Here, the user highlights the issues facing manual typing and speech-to-text applications, showing how few options on the market there are for them. A foot keyboard would be helpful in this situation, as the client could type without using their hands, speaking, or having to be overly reliant on modern and expensive programs.
This project aims to help individuals without hands or strong mobility and dexterity in their hands, as typing can be extremely difficult or painful, and few options exist for them outside of speech-to-text. Furthermore, some individuals, such as the user above, struggle with auditory or verbal issues, which further inhibit their ability to type. An individual without hands would be specially adapted to using a foot keyboard, as they often have to rely on their feet to complete tasks that would normally be done with hands.
Of course, most clients would have to adapt to typing with their feet and locating keys on the keyboard. Ideally, clients would be able to adjust to the keyboard and type without having to look down at the keys, which could cause pain or strain in the neck. In order to hasten this process and aid the user in typing, key-specific bumps and ridges could be added to the physical buttons, allowing the user to learn key locations based on physical touch as well as memorization of keys that come with practice. These keys would be similar to the ridges (homing bars) that can be found on the ‘F’ and ‘J’ keys on most QWERTY keyboards, called position keys (Hrnjicevic, I. 2024). Using bars and other physical markings on the keys would help the user increase their efficiency and decrease the time it takes to memorize the keys by learning touch typing, where the user is able to locate keys relative to the marked keys.
It is important to note that typing with feet comes with its own set of complications compared to typing with a traditional keyboard. For one, toes are much shorter and have less dexterity than fingers, which would make it harder to reach keys and have control over which key to press. To accommodate this, our keyboard would have significantly larger keys and be more horizontally aligned than traditional keys. One proposed idea is to have multiple extra keys, similar to the “command” or “option” keys, that would allow the user to make various combinations to get a different output, reducing the total number of required keys. For example, instead of having separate keys for the letters “A,” “B,” and “C,” they could all be contained in a single key, where “A” is achieved by pressing the key alone, “B” results from pressing the key and the first option key at the same time, and “C” results from combining the key with the second option key. Another analogy for this mechanism is the modern “Shift” key, where one hand holds down the “Shift” button and the other presses the desired key to achieve the uppercase letter. In our model, one foot could press the option button while the other presses the specific key to achieve the desired letter. This system would allow for a lower number of required keys on the board, thus making up for the decreased dexterity and mobility in the toes. One complication with this design, however, is that it would require a greater learning curve as the user would have to memorize various combinations of keys. Another limitation of this design is that the user would likely have to remove their shoes and socks to type, which could be awkward or difficult to use in public. For this reason, the product will be designed more for at-home use, where the user can comfortably be barefoot. It is also important to have adequate support for the feet so that the user can easily rest their feet and type comfortably for long periods of time. To make the keyboard comfortable for the user, our design sketches include an inclined keyboard structure to feel more natural and allow the user to gently rest their feet on the keyboard when not typing. Additionally, the keyboard could include a “heel rest” below the main keyboard structure where the user could place their heels to allow for greater foot support and easier sliding across the keyboard when reaching for different keys. One last limitation of the design is that people have different foot sizes, so some features, such as the heel rest or even the physical keys, would have to be adjusted for individuals with smaller or larger foot sizes.