Svalboard: Datahand Lives
31 comments
·June 20, 2025inanutshellus
Oh man, Datahand, resurrected!
Datahands are amazing. With mere twitches of the finger you can hit any key on the keyboard.
I saved up for months while in college and bought a used one. 25 yrs ago they were $1,200... minimum wage was like $4/hr... so... it was "intended for insurance companies to pay" level of money.
If you have either RSI or just love experiencing new ways to do things, Datahand is amazing, and Svalboard looks every bit as good...
and... it's cheaper than it was 25 years ago... with two trackballs added on!
Really excited to see this project!
ilc
Better IMHO. The integration of pointing devices, especially the trackballs really changes the game.
You really just never take your hands off the keyboard, everything is in nice close range, etc. :)
inanutshellus
You don't take your hand off the keyboard for cursor movement on Datahands either but yes, having two embedded trackballs is pretty sweet.
Aside...
Datahand moved RSI pain from my wrist to my knuckles. These keyboards don't magically prevent all RSI, which is ... only obvious if you actually think on it, which i didn't back then.
ilc
I wouldn't even compare mouse keys to what is done on Svalboard.
I know I personally found mouse keys unusable for day to day use, and another local DH users thought much the same, we had other pointers we used. (I used a fingerworks trackpad back when, clamped onto the side of the laplander, the other guy used a mouse, if I remember right.)
morganvenable
My old Datahand keyboards were dying, so I decided to build a replacement and it took over my life
Svalboard combines the amazing magnetic key action of Datahand with a unique anatomical fitment system and integrated pointing devices to give the most customizable, lowest-effort keyboard and mouse solution ever built.
There's a super friendly Discord community, too: www.svalboard.com/discord
heikkilevanto
That looks interesting. I have been dreaming of a travel workstation: A powerful phone for the computer, one handed chorded keyboard for input and smart glasses for display. Should fit in a pocket or at most a small bag. Wonder if I could buy just one of the pair, and adjust system to switch sides when needed.
ilc
I've been using one for over a year now, and I really like it. Ended up finding out about it from the Glove80 discord.
Now, I help out with their firmware updates, as a volunteer, just keeping things somewhat sane and debugged. Adding features as needed, to support new pointers, etc etc.
Disclaimer: My views are my own, I get provided hardware to do firmware work, and that's it. I do not work for Svalboard, etc.
treeform
I got one recently. It has a learning curve, but it’s been really fun. It’s infinitely customizable like no other keyboard. The magnetic switches feel really good. I feel like I am in a cyberpunk novel when I use it.
0_gravitas
As an extremely happy Glove80 user (Sunaku's Engrammer layout for those curious), I will watch this keyboard's career with great interest. I can definitely see it in my future (the Glove80's were recent enough (first one a couple years ago, and one more recent for home use) that unfortunately it would be an irrational purchase to make now)
__BUT__ say I wanted to ditch a KVM switch for some reason, and set up a second workstation at home...
My one complaint for the glove80 is it feels like it was made for someone's hands that are __a little__ larger than mine (I do have some sausage stubbs), so the adjustable clusters are interesting to me! However, I do also have an Azeron Cyborg II at home, which uses a similar idea, the clusters on that __do__ adjust, but at the smallest adjustment its still kind of uncomfortable for me; any small-small-hand users have experience reports with this one?
ilc
On the discord there are some really small handed users. If that's your concern, join the discord, and I'm sure folks will nerd out with ya to figure it out. :)
0_gravitas
Love it, an irresponsible purchase might be well near~ I see you're a longstanding contributor to the project! Discord is joined, will plan to browse after hours :^)
Epa095
Can you use the Azeron as a keyboard, and does it work well for it?
0_gravitas
Azeron is definitely meant to be used as a half, its more of a dense keypad than a keyboard (main purpose is for gaming).
neves
I couldn't see till the end of the video https://youtu.be/SPoOlYWcCvU , but it is the kind of nerd things that I love in the Internet
shocks
My kit got shipped yesterday. Super excited!
nahuel0x
65 WPM shown on the video seems low, not good for a demo video. I wonder if somebody speedier on a normal keyboard can type faster using the Svalboard.
bschwarz
Here's a demonstration of 120 WPM on the Lalboard, the base/inspiration for Svalboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMhOIgrdeE0
I'm currently sitting at around 90 WPM on the Svalboard - slower than I was on a normal keyboard but now pain-free.
ilc
In the end, most of us using these keyboards care much less about speed than comfort. Not to say you can't go fast, people do.
Giving people back pain free use of their hands, and pain free computer is much more important IMHO.
null
munro
was a bit hard for me to find, but here's a video of the trackball being used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCXgPqlpZeM
tecleandor
Looks interesting, although it's far, far away of my price point for a custom keyboard.
ilc
When the question becomes:
- Lose your career as a computer user.
- Surgery.
- Try funky expensive keyboard with lots of research behind it, and tons of testimonials.
The funky expensive keyboard suddenly looks like the cheap option.
If you don't value your time, or enjoy 3d printing and assembling stuff, kits get shipped every few months, with all the electronics, and access to the files needed to 3d print the board.
I'm typing this on a board I printed. If I valued my time at my hourly rate, the price listed is dirt cheap. But I enjoyed doing it :)
bschwarz
It's also quite a bit cheaper than unsuccessful physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other medical interventions. And no, simply lifting weights does not fix all musculoskeletal issues (RSI).
I'd say it's well worth the price for people that need it!
0_gravitas
Niche products don't benefit from Economies of Scale, so this is par for the course, my glove80's were about $600 a piece
Is it possible to press multiple keys on opposite axes at the same time? E.g. q and z or w and x on the qwerty layout.