fan-shaped keyboard for one-hand use by HTX Studio
HTX Studio creates a fan-shaped keyboard with a built-in trackball for users who want to type using only one hand. Produced with 61 QWERTY keys, the shape of the device accommodates all the buttons within reach of five fingers. The design team uses smaller keyboard switches to make the typing tool compact. At first, the keys felt stiff, so they applied lubricant to them to make the typing smoother.
They had to thoroughly think of the key placement to make the fan-shaped keyboard work with just one hand. First, they moved the spacebar and delete key to the corner where the forefinger could easily press them. Then, they placed the trackball just below them so it is reachable by the thumb. The team had tested different options first: trackpoint, joystick, and touchpad. They picked a trackball in the end because it was small and precise. In this case, users can even create their own custom trackball for their fan-shaped keyboard that can be used with one hand.
all images courtesy of HTX Studio
Open-source Design built from scratch
The design team at HTX Studio says that a reason they created the fan-shaped keyboard for one hand is because of an email. During the wintertime of 2024, they received it from the father, who wrote that his daughter had lost the use of her right hand after a truck accident. She was struggling to type on a regular keyboard because she had to move between the keyboard and the mouse using only her left hand. In his email, the father asked if the team could build a one-handed keyboard for her and even sent them a simple drawing of what they had in mind.
HTX Studio picked up the brief and started designing the fan-shaped keyboard for one-hand use. They learned the keyboard had to be fully usable with one hand and should have a built-in mouse. When the team researched existing products, they found that most one-handed keyboards were made for gaming, with very few keys and not enough for typing. Then, there were others that required the user to remember tricky commands, which would not work well for everyday use. So, the team decided to build a completely new one-handed keyboard from scratch, basing it off the design that the requesting father had suggested to them and then uploading it all as an open-source device.
HTX Studio creates a fan-shaped keyboard with a trackball for users who want to type with one hand
There’s a ‘plus’ version with magnetic cable
The design team had to work on seven versions before they were able to produce a working model for the fan-shaped keyboard for one hand. The earlier models had bad angles and hard-to-use scroll wheels. Throughout the process, they sent each prototype to the daughter so she could test it and give her feedback through her father. The team came out with a pilot working version and sent it to her for testing. She said she liked it but that she had trouble with small keys and a weak cable on the side to keep its power.
With this, the team improved it again, even adding a magnetic cable to make the fan-shaped keyboard easier to plug in with just one hand. HTX Studio also created colored keys because they said that the daughter likes fun and vibrant styles. Then, they also created a ‘plus’ version – a slightly bigger model – with normal-sized keys, LED lights, and even sound-dampening material for less typing noise. Once the two versions were finished, they sent them to the daughter, and since the design was already done, the team made more units – 50 in total, half for the left hand and half for the right hand – and donated them to other people who needed one-handed keyboards.
next to the trackball is a scroll wheel
detailed view of the colorful keys
the spacebar and delete key are in the corner where the forefinger could easily press them
the design team uses smaller keyboard switches to make the typing tool compact
there’s also a Plus version
the plus version is a slightly bigger model with normal-sized keys
there’s also an option for right-handed users
so far, the device is an open-source assistive tool
project info:
name: One-handed keyboard
design: HTX Studio | @htx_studio
open-source: here
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