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Strain injuries are the blight of the programmer.

I've just ordered an ergonomic desk chair. However, if I am sitting back with my keyboard/mouse on my desk, I think this is going to still cause posture problems (pronation?), as my arms will be stretching forwards.

The ideal solution I guess would be to have some kind of movable arm with a keyboard/mouse tray on the end, so that I can adjust the height, position and tilt exactly.

However, it would need to lock so that I don't move it further by typing on the keyboard.

But I've never seen such a thing. How to go about constructing one?

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  • There are adjustable, lockable keyboard arms, such as this one – bib Jan 30 '15 at 13:51
  • as @bib pointed out, they exist and exist in plenty. Search Ergonomic Keyboard Tray on google and you will have hundreds to choose from. There is everything from split keyboards that attach to the armrests of your chair to a huge amount of underdesk trays. – diceless Jan 30 '15 at 18:48
  • True there are now many products, however I'm still considering making my own as I can't see anything I like to look of. If I have my monitor on one arm and a tray on another, I have no need for a desk. So I'm looking for an arm that will attach to a vertical pole or a wall. – P i Feb 1 '15 at 16:29
  • The mechanisms for these can also be purchased separately, for use with whatever platform you want to build.. – keshlam Apr 7 '15 at 23:09
  • As a programmer, I know the pains of a desk and have been thinking of a solution as well. The best way to describe my idea is that it is like a drum set, or more specifically, a cymbal stand. I will make a piece that screws the monitor directly to the top of the stand. Now I can adjust the height, angle, and rotation of the screen. I haven't quite figured out the attachment of the keyboard/mouse. It would have to attach in such a way as to not tip the thing over ( cymbal stands can take a hit ), but also not get too far into leg space. – Carl Apr 8 '15 at 4:51
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These things do exist.

However, there is an interesting idea in the first review on this page.

The reviewer suggests using a Monitor arm, and attaching a custom surface to the VESA plate.

Benefits of this are that the monitor arm is sturdier, and that it is much cheaper. Good monitor arms can be found for < £30 as opposed to ~£200 for a custom keyboard tray arm.

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