Westlake Village (CA) - Consumers not content with leaving their keyboards sitting on a desk can now mount them to their bodies. L3 System’s wrist mounted keyboard, aptly called the WristPC keyboard, allows military and industrial personnel to input information without a bulky desktop-sized keyboard.

L3 Systems has been selling their small ruggedized keyboards for a few years. The full-qwerty layout keyboard is mounted on a wrist and comes in either sealed aluminum chassis or ABS plastic. Both PS/2 and USB are supported. While the aluminum and ABS plastic models are ruggedized against liquid, shock and vibration, L3 says that the aluminum version can obviously take more punishment. Many situations require a rugged keyboard. Hospital workers have been using these keyboards to input patient information for several years. The waterproofing in ruggedized keyboards not only protects against normal water, but also against biological liquids in hospital settings.

Technicians checking for structural defects in a jumbo jet or an oil pipeline also need to input data into a computer. Companies often need to keep detailed maintenance records in order to comply with company procedure, insurance company regulations and of course governmental regulations. For example, in the case of an accident, state, federal and insurance agencies will want to know what parts were inspected and who inspected them. The rugged keyboard not only keeps the keys from vibrating out of their sockets, but also protects against shock. "In the cozy confines of an industrial plant, people tend to bang their arms on a pipe," says Larry Bateman, founder of L3 Systems.

Not only is the keyboard functional, it has stylish looks as well. They have appeared on TV shows, movies and other events. "It has been on the X-Files show and a lot of fashion shows," says Bateman. While the geeky keyboards catch everyone’s attention, they are not priced for the average consumer. The ABS plastic version starts at $249, while the aluminum model can be as much as $579. Bateman says, "This isn’t a five dollar keyboard, because it wasn’t designed for a cheap PDA."