Sci-fi movies — especially those with a cyberpunk theme — love to incorporate fictional technology that looks cool. Film is, after all, a visual medium. That gets really interesting when it comes to computer input devices, because regular old keyboards and mice look pretty boring on screen. So, we end up with fictional tech like the arm-waving interface in Minority Report. That would be wildly impractical in real life, but Adam LeBlanc’s Schist01 wrist-mounted keyboard is both very cyberpunk and also at least somewhat usable.
While there are many wearable keyboard projects out there, the Schist01 is unique in both appearance and function. It almost looks like a gauntlet that extends across and around the user’s hand. Their arm and hand aren’t completely encased, but this is still a very novel design that keeps the keys under the fingers at all times. There are 30 keys, so it relies on keymap layers to access all of the typical characters. And it has a small touchpad to eliminate the need for a separate mouse. Schist01 is wireless and battery-powered, making it self-contained and untethered.
Because the Schist01 has such an unusual and organic design, LeBlanc had to get creative when fabricating the mechanical parts. He started by using plasticine modeling clay and key caps to mold the shape of the keyboard. He then used an app called LumaAI Scan to capture a 3D scan of that, his hand, and his arm. That scan gave him a reference for 3D modeling in Rhino. That work was still tricky and required a lot of surface modeling, but he ultimately ended up with solid models to 3D-print in PLA on an Creality Ender 3.
The hardware consists of a nice!nano microcontroller development board, a Cirque GlidePoint touchpad, 30 Kailh Choc Sunset key switches with clear keycaps, and a 110mAh lithium battery. The nice!nano is an Arduino Pro Micro pin-compatible development board designed specifically for use in custom keyboards, so it was perfect for the job. LeBlanc loaded that up with ZMK firmware that enables wireless connectivity. To secure the Schist01 to his arm, LeBlanc designed some interesting strap mechanisms that take advantage of FidLock Winch magnetic ratchet fasteners.
The result looks really cool and it does work, though LeBlanc reports that it isn’t very comfortable to use for extended periods of time. He designed it specifically for his own body, but the weight and position are still less than ideal. Regardless, this is an impressive project.