"The Vertical" Literature "The Vertical" has received endoresments from hand surgeons and clinical orthopaedic therapists as well as from OrthoMed, the Hand Rehabilitation Center of the University of California, San Diego Medical Center. "The Vertical" is the only keyboard which UCSD has approved for testing with its patients. The Vertical is designed to address critical factors which cause RMI in association with computer keyboard usage. In order to access a computer correctly, The Vertical requires users to position their bodies in optimal alignment with the keyboard. The orthopaedically neutral forearm position [with hands palms-in and thumbs-up] eliminates hand and forearm pronation, which reduces nerve compression in the forearm. The vertically arranged keypad halves serve to ameliorate onset occurrence of keyboard-associated RMI by eliminating the extremes of wrist flexion [up and down movement of the wrist], shoulder and arm extension and ulnar deviation [outward rotation of the wrist]. By utilizing visual-reference mirrored mylar surfaces adjustable to the user's eye, the user is able to readily reference any key indicia [reversed] just as they would on a conventional keyboard. Transverse adjustability [movement like an accordion to a locked position] to user's torso width, substantially reduces cumulative muscoskeletal discomfort in the shoulders while reducing wrist deviation. The Vertical eliminates the need for an exterior mouse by offering a convenient finger-accessible cursor control while the hands remain in the vertically neutral position resulting in increased productivity through less transitionary motion. Patients who have experience dsicomfort on traditional computer keyboards have found relief when using The Vertical. Our further research with keyboard users showed individuals, and especially industry, will not accept a product which forces them to relearn the keyboard or takes extensive amounts of time to regain normal speed and accuracy. Based on the comments of hundreds of people who have interfaced with the prototype, an average touch-typist will regain speed and accuracy within hours. The large percentage of office workers who have developed RMI from computer keyboard use did not grow up with computers. This has happened in the last 10-15 years due to the extensive use of computers in the work environment. Children however, are growing up using computers from a very early age. If the keyboard design is not corrected, RMI will affect many more people in epidemic proportion at a much earlier time in life. Over the last two years we have had the opportunity to interact with many people in varying stages of RMI and recognize the urgency to provide a safer method of data entry. It is our desire to assist governmental agencies in developing industry standards for workers who keystroke for long, uninterrupted periods of time. -- Stephen L. Albert, co-Designer of The Vertical