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Sliced Bread

Ergonomic Keyboards and Mice

5/14/202624 min

Do ergonomic devices like split keyboards and vertical mice help with comfort and health?

If you're a heavy computer user there are an increasing variety of weird and wonderful options to help improve your comfort and reduce the risk of aches and pains associated with 'Repetitive Strain Injury' (RSI).

Listener Tim is curious whether ergonomic tools—such as split keyboards, alternative layouts, or vertical mice—could optimise his professional setup as a software engineer.

To find out, presenter Greg Foot does a deep-dive into the evidence alongside Nichola Adams, from the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors; and Ben Vallack, who runs a YouTube channel all about workflow and design.

And if you're interested in this topic, we have a companion episode on Standing Desks - available along with all our other episodes on BBC Sounds.

All of our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT

Clips

The Wrist Rest Myth
Normal Keyboards Are A Disaster
Do Vertical Mice Help?
Keyboard Gloves And Tiny Movements
Conditional Sliced Bread
Relearning Beyond QWERTY

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Greg Foot· Host0:00

    [upbeat music] Hello, I'm Greg Foot, and welcome to Sliced Bread, the show that investigates the wonder products promising to make you happier, healthier, or greener. Each episode, we follow the crumbs of evidence to find out if one of your suggested wonder products is indeed the best thing since sliced bread or marketing BS. And today's suggestion comes from Tim Crothers from West Bromwich. Welcome, Tim.

  2. Tim Crothers· Guest0:25

    Hello.

  3. Greg Foot· Host0:26

    You're not in West Bromwich today though, are you, Tim? You are in Spain on holiday.

  4. Tim Crothers· Guest0:30

    Yeah, I mean, the weather is much better than it is back home, so- Good on you ... congratulations.

  5. Greg Foot· Host0:34

    Well, we appreciate you joining us, and it is quite apt, isn't it, that we are connecting remotely by computer because today's wonder product is...

  6. Tim Crothers· Guest0:41

    Ergonomic keyboards and mice as well.

  7. Greg Foot· Host0:44

    Ergonomic. Look, I'm gonna do my best, uh, Susie Dent impression here. Ergonomic, relating to or designed for efficiency and comfort in the working environment.

  8. Tim Crothers· Guest0:54

    Ooh.

  9. Greg Foot· Host0:54

    Show us your keyboard.

  10. Tim Crothers· Guest0:55

    Yeah, so here it is for all the listeners.

  11. Greg Foot· Host0:57

    Did you bring this on holiday especially for the recording?

  12. Tim Crothers· Guest0:59

    I did, yeah.

  13. Greg Foot· Host1:00

    Ah.

  14. Tim Crothers· Guest1:00

    I mean, I've got no T-shirts in my hand luggage, but I've got a keyboard.

  15. Greg Foot· Host1:04

    [laughs] Good man. Good man. You actually held up two halves of a keyboard there.

  16. Tim Crothers· Guest1:08

    Yeah, it's called a split keyboard, so half the keys for my right hand are on one module, and then there's a little cable between them, so you can basically have the bits wherever you need for your hands.

  17. Greg Foot· Host1:18

    It looks like there's some extra keys. There's some kind of chunky keys in the middle.

  18. Tim Crothers· Guest1:22

    Yeah, it's all a bit strange, but I fell down the rabbit hole.

  19. Greg Foot· Host1:25

    So how many hours a day do you spend at a computer, Tim?

  20. Tim Crothers· Guest1:28

    I work, uh,

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