Gesture-based input devices are nothing new, yet what makes the Clove 2 typing glove device so admirable is the fact that it was created and programmed for as a hack , and by a single person. Aimed at the multi-tasker, this device enables the user to type using only a single hand, while the other appendage is occupied at say, grabbing a fistful of chips or your favorite mug of liquid refreshment.

                                              For hardcore modders and geeks only!
 

The Clove 2 unfortunately, as most of you would already have figured out, has a steep learning curve, although this is less of an issue with the smart programming done by the device’s creator, Christopher Mitchell who is a frequently featured modder / inventor on www.hackaday.com. Specifically, the most often-used letters, keystrokes, and combinations have been programmed for the easiest access on the glove, with examples ranging from the letter “E” or “T” to key combinations like Ctrl-Alt-Del and Alt-F4. Suffice to say that once you get the hang of it, your other hand is free to write a couple of notes, grab a couple of snacks, or do a couple of stretching exercises.

                                             According to the creator, the mod is relatively easy but time-consuming.

Which brings me another point entirely – since this is a hack and not a commercial product, it wouldn’t be fair to slam this on the point of practicality and user-friendliness / ergonomics, but I have to say that I’d imagine using this would lead to stiff fingers and uncomfortable joints unless the user is very experienced at uhh… ghost-typing. Still, any kind of innovation in the input space is welcome on this site, as evidenced by a previous post – it just depends on how active you want to be while you’re typing up that report.

                                             These are the two main components of the main, finished product.

Innovation like this potentially has many uses – for example for those people who have lost the use of one hand, or more commonly, for those professionals who need access to an input device while doing something much more important – like operating on a person for surgeons and such. A suitable miniaturized version could be used to double as a sterile glove and a virtual, single hand keyboard for quick input into patient records or similar. Basically, this glove not only gives us innovation as a single-hand input device, but also as an alternate, gesture-based control that may one day ease the increasingly multi-tasking nature of our computer generation.