This they attribute to the fact that men “make ‘umm’ and ‘err’ sounds more frequently.”

I can attest to this. It is a common problem in general, and I was guilty of doing this in presentations in between lines as I paused to catch a breath. It’s also common when pausing between words when using voice recognition. A bad habit? Perhaps, but a common habit nonetheless.

In addition, the scientists found that, “Variations in pitch, tone and speed can also cause the system to misunderstand voices” – which goes without saying. No two people talk in the same way or style. If we did, we’d be a very boring species! Dialects and regional variations also come into play, and as such I can certainly see why speech recognition software has its work cut out to achieve results.

My own experience with trying out speech recognition wasn’t great. I think my low toned Scottish accent with plentiful doses of ‘umm’ and ‘err’ didn’t help either, but I did feel a bit aggrieved at its inability to learn my accent. It was some time ago so the software may well have changed and improved a lot since then, but I remember feeling frustrated at the many hours I had sunk into the system hoping it would learn my voice, all for naught in the end. Voice recognition in my mind has always had great potential for relief of over-used arm and hand muscles, but the effort involved in learning how to use the software, ie teaching the software to recognise your voice, for was a soul destroying and futile task!

It’s a sad but true fact that for me there really is no comparable alternative to the keyboard in this day and age!

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“Tweeting by thought alone is a somewhat slow process using this prototype technology –- we speak at approximately 120 words per minute. But, as with texting, users can improve as they practice using the interface. “I’ve seen people do up to eight characters per minute,” Wilson says.”

Ouch.. that would be a significant downturn in workload!  I can see this form of input being a considerable benefit to people with severe disabilities, however I do wonder what the long term health impacts are of having an electrode implanted in your brain. My guess is that it must surely at this stage be a large unknown. It is, however, an interesting area of research.

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The mind boggles at the mere though of this. It’s a very Orwellian concept. Imagine other sensors out there being able to read your thoughts – scary!

The assumption is that due to the ease of the technology, we as consumers will beg to have this implanted technology. I’m not convinced of this argument. I also tend to believe that new concepts in computer control are never going to be risk free in themselves. Eye motion controllers could cause eye strain. Thought controllers could cause brain strain!

The human brain is not a device that tends to tackle one sole task at hand. Out thoughts are random, parallel, and varying in nature. You may be thinking about the weekend holiday ahead or be excited about a forthcoming birthday etc. How would thought control devices differentiate these ‘human’ thoughts from ‘control’ thoughts? Would your employer be able to see when you were not thinking about the project you are working on each day? Would they be able to pay you per thought control hour rather than per 8 hour day?

Only time will tell whether this plan comes to fruition, but it seems to be no more than wishful thinking. I suspect that if it does come into existence it will be treated very cautiously by discerning workers.

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The page is not so much intended as a page of products that I endorse. It is more a collection of the latest products in the field of ergonomic computer input as well as some key older products. It may contain ergonomic products which I find to be useful, potentially useful, or completely bizarre, and will where appropriate have my comments on the product and if available, a link to a review that I have done on the item. I will clearly state whether I have/have not used the product.

The page will be updated/added to as new products appear on the market.

If you are a manufacturer that would like to have their product listed or reviewed by Ergomatters please contact us.

The reason that developments like this are exciting is that the games business, being a cutting edge, technologically advanced industry, usually pushes the boundaries of software and hardware development for the sake of market share.

Technology like this for, say, computer controls would ordinarily evolve a lot slower if there were a lesser need for it aside  from gaming. However, once developed, you can see how it could easily transform into some kind of gesture control for computer operating systems and applications. Who knows, you may even get a workout whilst doing a spreadsheet in the future!  Will a workout mat eventually replace the old desk?  Maybe we can eliminate the need for going to a gym!  Do employers only hire fit people in the future?

We are certainly at a crossroads with computers, where the basic mouse has been around too long and has created too many overuse injuries. It is more than time that we took computer input to a new level of evolution, and this may be the glimpse of what’s to come.

Whether this technology can save us from RSI related injuries is unknown, but it may help wean us off using a mouse. It may also lead to opportunities in computer use for people with all kinds of different disabilities, and not just RSI.

Is this the dawn of a new age in computer ergonomics, or is it just a gimmick ?

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Whether this form of computer input technology will ever see serious light of day or not, or whether it will replace the keyboard and mouse, is anyone’s guess, but it is interesting to see trends in technology moving away from using the standard devices (although it is hinted that currently there is no good replacement for a keyboard for text entry).

Whether this technology can save us from RSI related injuries is open to debate; it may well transpire that they just mean we are susceptible to different types of injuries, but it is a good sign that developers are at least rethinking the now traditional methods of interacting with computers. It could lead to opportunities in computer use for people with all kinds of different disabilities, and not just RSI.

Is this the start of a new age in ergonomics, or is it just the latest phase of hi-tech gimmickry ?

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The biggest problem with the invention of the mouse, and for that matter all current GUI based computer systems, is that they force a user to do a very repetitive motion that had up until their invention not been done before, ie the repetitive small movement of the index fingers to send a ‘click’ to the computer to say ‘do this’. Sometimes this repetitive task can be very intensive (depending on the application being used). This has over the last 15 years or so led to a large increase in cases of Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI).

So what alternatives to standard mouse ‘clicking’ exist right now for the computer user? (Note: the following is by no means an exhaustive list)

• keyboard short cuts
• voice recognition software
• foot pedal clicking
• graphics tablet/tablet PC pen “taps”
• software generated clicks
• touch screen monitors

Each of the above have their own set of positive as well as negative points. The following is a brief summary of what I’ve found from my experiences with each of them -

• Keyboard shortcuts -these are quick access (single or combination) keyboard strokes which activate a command without moving (or clicking) a mouse and can greatly reduce the amount of mouse use required to do certain tasks. There are keyboard shortcuts available for most of the operating system versions around including Windows (9x, 2000, XP, Vista), Linux (KDE, Gnome) and Mac, as well as most of the applications that run on these operating systems. I have indeed found many keyboard shortcuts to boost my efficiency when using some software applications. Indeed without these shortcuts I would have been only 50% as productive at my job as I was! However the biggest limitations to keyboard shortcuts are as follows -
  • They are not well publicised, and as such there is a general ignorance out there as to their existence
  • The shortcuts may be common in a certain operating system, but not always transferable from one platform to another.They are rarely common across applications apart from very common tasks eg copy and paste etc.
  • A lot of applications could be more productive if more of their menu commands were available as keyboard shortcuts
  • There is a lack of ability for a user to customise the shortcuts in these applications.
  • You often have to continue to click a button to activate things, eg hit ‘return’ key or mouse click.
  • You still have to use your hands on the keyboard
  • Keyboard short cuts themselves are also repetitive in nature, and can cause RSI conditions in their own right.

• Voice recognition software – In my own experience, voice control software has always had great potential for relief of over-used arm and hand muscles, however, the effort involved in learning how to use the software, ie teaching the software to recognise your voice is a soul destroying and often futile task (I have had a lot of frustration in my numerous attempts!). Unless someone comes up with a version for a low toned, Scottish speaker, I see it as of little practical use to me personally. The last thing you want to do around an office is talk in a loud distinct and clear voice anyway! You will start to get strange looks from your co-workers!
• Foot pedal clicking is certainly a viable option. There are a few foot controlled ‘mice’ out there. Whilst I can’t be enthusiastic about mouse movement control with a foot mouse (my ankles started to hurt when I tried this motion), the clicking action could easily be done by foot, although double click timing could be an issue.

• Graphics tablets/tablet PCs – these input devices give the user an option to use a special pressure sensitive pen to move about a ‘tablet’ surface. This action is akin to holding a pencil whilst writing. This a relatively natural position which we have been used to ever since we learned to write. The clicking action is either controlled by clickable switches on the side of the ‘pen’ or by ‘tapping’ the pen tip against the tablet. This is indeed a complete change from standard mouse clicking action, but still involves many small repetitive movements (mainly wrist based) for clicking, coupled with a tight grip holding onto the pen. I also find the tablet surface (and edge) itself to be a cold and hard surface to rest my hand, wrist and arm upon. They can also take a bit of getting used to. Personally, as an RSI sufferer, I found the wrist motion to control the pen taps to be too painful to use on a regular basis. My injury may well have progressed too much by this stage, and the continual need to grip the pen also didn’t work for me. It may, however, be a viable alternative to a mouse for many other computer users.
• Software generated ‘clicks’ – This method has intrigued me for a long time. There is software available that can be used to generate a mouse click. The trigger for a click is the movement of the mouse followed by the stopping of the movement for a pre-determined time. This is usually indicative of the user hovering the cursor over a button etc that needs a click to activate. The software can be user controlled to send left, right, centre, double etc mouse clicks, which can be an absolute life-saver for some RSI sufferers (myself included). One such piece of software available (for free!) is ‘Point-N-Click‘ by Polital Enterprises. The use of this type of software is great for certain types of common applications eg web surfing. They can of course detect an unintentional mouse movement and send an unintentional ‘click’. This is often not important, but can have implications if, for example, you accidentally send out a mail message to someone prematurely (as I have done). Fortunately, there are sensitivity and delay controls available to tailor the software’s response to your individual needs. ‘Point-N-Click’ also has a built in “take a break” reminder alarm, which is very useful. Even better, the software is currently free, so you can try it out for nothing!
  Alternative mouse click generation software are ‘Nib‘ (formerly free software called mousetool) by Designer Appliances, and ‘Gentle Mouse‘. Neither of them are free, however you can evaluate both with time limited demo versions. Gentle Mouse has the added benefit of not sending clicks until you move the mouse a second time to choose either left or right clicks, the advantage being the reduction in the number of erroneous clicks you send.
• Touch screen monitors – I have not yet experienced a touch screen monitor. They certainly may be a very usable option for an RSI sufferer. I personally still feel that I’d be tapping my fingers against a surface yet again, which for me would still most likely lead to pain. It could, however, be a viable solution for many computer users out there, and looks like a promising development in computer input devices.

As is often the case, there may not be a single solution to combat RSI. It may be more sensible for an individual to choose a few different methods of control, and switch between using them. The key thing is to avoid doing any one repetitive action all of the time.

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Having seen what manufacturers ship with their systems, I would be a proponent of legislation to ensure that the basic minimum mouse is an ergonomic one. By ‘ergonomic’ I mean that it meets certain standards with respect to shape (comfort to hold on to), button (click) pressure, and optionally be available in different sizes to accommodate different hand sizes. Unfortunately, in the cut-throat cost driven PC market these days, this is unlikely to happen without legislation.

Some tips I have learned over the years regarding mouse use is as follows -

• Try changing hands when using the mouse. Do it frequently (eg once an hour) in order to rest the other hand. Have a second mouse installed at the left hand side of the keyboard (if you can’t be bothered moving the original one)
• Consider having 2-3 different styles of mice, and use each style for 1/3 of the day. This will change the motion of the fingers/hands to something different, and may help to break the cycle of repetitive motion associated with using a single mouse.
• If you are having RSI symptoms already in your mouse hand, try obtaining 2-4 different styles of special ergonomic mice or alternative input devices and cycle through them for 1/4 of a working day at a time. Try to ensure that each mouse/input device operates differently especially the clicking motion. eg. 1 input device std right hand forefinger click, 1 input device right hand thumb click, 1 input device left hand forefinger click, 1 device left hand thumb click.
  This variety will maximise the resting time from the motion that is causing your specific RSI problem. If in doubt about input device choice, consult an ergonomist.
• Consider trying out an alternative input device(s) entirely eg. graphics tablet, tablet PC, Contour Roller mouse, touch screen monitors , or the use of one of these with a standard ergonomic mouse. Alternatively you can wait for future developments in technology like the microsoft surface or the 3d motion sensor camera by 3DV Systems which I’d like to try out, although it remains to be seen whether such a device will be purely aimed at the gaming market as opposed to the general PC market

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