Clove 2 Glove For One Handed Input


[Christopher Mitchell] (previously on Hack a Day) has come up with a rather interesting input device. The Clove 2 glove is a Bluetooth data input interface. The goal is to be able to “type” without the use of a traditional keyboard. Key strokes are achieved through finger movements. Your computer simply sees this as a Bluetooth HID device and some software translates it for you.

While it may seem confusing, he’s designed it to be very similar to typing on a keyboard. Each finger movement or combination is a key stroke. Just like typing on a regular keyboard, there are modifying strokes such as ALT or shift that effect others. Most common used keys require the least combinations of finger movements.


[Christopher] put some extra effort in to making this user friendly by adding some features that you might not have thought of at first. For example, the ALT and shift keys work similar to a phone interface. When you press them, the next keystroke is effected. There is also audio feedback to let you know that this has happened. Each normal keystroke makes a click, while each modifier has a unique tone.

They’re not being stingy with information either. The site has a complete writeup of how to make the glove yourself. Each step has a detailed description and pictures as well as downloadable schematics.

This method of input seems so unobtrusive. We can visualize this being used in warehouses or even by doctors for different types of input when keeping your hands available is necessary. Maybe a sock version should be next in line!

23 thoughts on “Clove 2 Glove For One Handed Input

  1. this is nice, if it could be made into soemthing that wasn’t hot to wear i might actually use it.

    i think a bra computer interface device would be far more useful. It would let guys interface with their woman, and their computer all at the same time.

  2. This on one hand, Ben Heck’s Xbox 360 One-handed controller in the other.

    Seriously though, I’m glad to see that someone in the civilian sector is making this stuff. I’ve heard that the government might be making something like this, but I’m not sure.

  3. Considering the vast majority of people typing one-handed are going to be those surfing pron, I’m not sure I really want to envision those ‘far-reaching’ uses you mention…

  4. “by adding some features that you might not have thought of at first. For example, the ALT and shift keys work similar to a phone interface. When you press them, the next keystroke is effected.”

    That’s exactly how I would of thought of it. first.

  5. @vampyre:
    You could probably make the glove less of a glove, and more like a set of rings. It might be neat to see the same idea except using both hands for faster speeds.

    A portable keyboard interface is going to become pretty important for the future’s gargoyles.

  6. It’s a remix of “Clocks”, by Coldplay.

    Thanks for the comments, everyone, glad you like my project. I also see wide applications, and I’m exploring where I want to go next with this. I’m thinking about resistive flex sensors as an alternate finger position determination method, and I’m experimenting with the idea of an accelerometer or tilt sensor to integrate mouse functionality.

  7. slickrick, what sensor interface would you use for the mouse? I was thinking an accelerometer to detect hand tilt for the actual movement, and making of the finger combinations enable the mouse when held. Left, right, and double-clicking would be other finger combinations.

  8. If the size of it was cut down, I could see devices like this being quite useful for blackberries/smartphones or PDA’s etc. Main hurdle I foresee is actually getting people to use the gloves and not feel stupid for wearing them. There really hasn’t been much innovation on making a decent mobile input device that wasn’t just a small keyboard jammed into a device.

  9. i wonder, would it not have been better to use one of those fold up keyboards as a base? im guessing they have a much smaller bluetooth module inside. the one i have here runs of two aaa batteries…

  10. How does this differ from the P5 Glove (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P5_glove)? That’s been around for ages, but it never really caught on.

    I like the idea of tones to denote actions. Generally the bane of wearable input devices like this is immediate feedback: you don’t get the “clack” of a typed key or the “click” of a mouse button. I’ve seen work on tiny haptic actuators (typically the vibrating motor from an old cellphone) but the tone idea definitely deserves further investigation.

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