Customizable - Laser-Cut Keyguard for Grid-based- Free-form- and Hybrid AAC Apps on Tablets

Keyguards help individuals with limited ability to point reliably at regions of an app running on a tablet. They do this by physically separating access to specific regions of the tablet screen with rails that rise up from the surface of the tablet. In this case, the apps are associated with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

Some AAC apps organize their content into grids with menus and message bars, above or below the grid. Others are much more creative and unpredictable in their layouts. Hybrid apps are largely grid-based but their keyguards can be enhanced by selectively exposing specific regions of the app.

The number of possible choices for tablet, tablet case, and AAC app, make it impossible to design a few keyguards that will meet everyone’s needs. To complicate matters further, users have lots of flexibility for how they organize the content in their apps. All of this is to say that users must be given control over the keyguard design. design that allows the user to identify their tablet, describe how the AAC app is laid out, describe their case, and choose a mounting method to mount the keyguard directly to the tablet or to the case. Once the keyguard is fully described you can generate the files to fabricate the keyguard.

This version is for a laser-cut keyguard. Please use this project to request a 3D-printable keyguard.

After printing the keyguard, it can be affixed to the tablet, and the app used as normal with the keyguard to separate the buttons.

This device is intended for users that use AAC (Augmented and Alternative communication) apps on a tablet.

There are extensive instructions for how to generate the files to create the custom keyguard. The process involves capturing information about the device, and configuration of the AAC app including making detailed measurements, and then entering parameters into an OpenSCAD file. Finally, the fabrication file is output from OpenSCAD and lasercut.

To make a custom laser-cut keyguard, visit the Volkswitch site to and follow along with the comprehensive instructions. Start with the list of ready-to-cut designs to see if a pre-existing design is already available. If not, you’ll need to make the necessary measurements of the tablet and the app to change the OpenSCAD design parameters and generate the svg file for lasercutting. The OpenSCAD design file is available on Thingiverse and Printables.

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