Two Leap for split keyboard + mouse

TroyWorks 2014-08-31 20:32:41 UTC #1

I am wanting to use 2 leaps, one dedicated to each hand/arm, to replace a traditional qwerty keyboard and maybe mouse/trackball but unlike a conventional split key/mouse they aren't needed to be so close together, plus allow some above keyboard gestures.

I'm working on some furniture/human computer interfaces, sit/stand/zerograv recliner chairs and workstations, where the ideal arms are spread way farther apart at an angle (or even at sides of body) and that can't currently be done effectively with traditional split keyboards or 2 bluetooth keyboards.

Tactile f I had thought of just using a dead keyboard cut in half, as I find after using smartpad (e.g. touchstream) the lack of feedback and a resting place causes other ergonomic issues.

Not sure where to start, looking around here at other projects I only see keyboards oriented to a single leap. Any ideas?

Komposten 2014-08-31 20:48:02 UTC #2

I don't think multiple Leaps on the same computer is officially supported yet and the only workaround to achieve it is to stream leap data from the second leap using virtual machines. Maybe that's why no one has released a multi-leap OS control app?

katem 2014-09-02 19:44:38 UTC #3

@Komposten @TroyWorks --

Correct -- at this time, we don't support multiple Leaps hooked into the same device.

chacham 2014-11-23 02:00:25 UTC #4

I am curious about something. It's an idea that may be impractical.

Holding fingers in the air can make them get tired. When sitting, the natural position of the arms and hands is straight down with the fingers bent slightly at the first knuckle, more at the middle knuckle, and a little less at the top knuckle. This brings up the idea of splitting a keyboard and placing each half hanging down from the sides of the chair. (Current solutions for this assume the arm will rest on an arm rest.)

The first thought that comes to mind is, could the Leap be used for this (assuming an app was written to support this?) And if so, would it require 2 of them? The Leap itself would be placed under the chair.

TroyWorks 2014-11-23 05:32:59 UTC #5

@chacham that's basically what I wanted as well, but as the thread above says at present only one leap per pc at present is supported by the driver. While 2 pcs could network and coordinate to achieve such things, that's the equivalent of 3 drivers and 2x the pc's making it impractial for me at the moment.

chacham 2014-11-23 11:38:56 UTC #6

I do not have a Leap (yet.) What are the chances one could be used under a chair? Is the range great enough?

TroyWorks 2014-11-24 03:38:46 UTC #7

Range is about 6 to about 2 feet so maybe.

katem 2014-12-03 01:46:26 UTC #8

Depends on your setup but it would likely be a bit far. Is there a particular reason you're looking to place it beneath your desk?

chacham 2014-12-03 03:27:55 UTC #9

The idea is to hold the hands in the most natural position and type from there.

The split keyboard has always intrigued me. So, i'm curious about putting it under the chair.

katem 2014-12-03 23:01:05 UTC #10

If you are sitting down, and the keyboard is placed just under your desk, aligned with your thighs/knees as I'm imagining based on your description, it should be just fine, but to reiterate the original point of this thread -- we currently support only one device per computer at time.

chacham 2014-12-03 23:15:54 UTC #11

Awesome! Thanx.

I'm currently watching ebay to get a Leap for a bit cheaper than the list price. So, i'm not really in the market to purchase 2. I just hope my mac mini (2011) with its usb 2.0 ports will be good enough to support it.

katem 2014-12-03 23:39:22 UTC #12

Should be good with those specs!