Looking for a wireless, low-profile programmable macropad WITHOUT a rotary wheel (Clinical operating room use)
Hi everyone!
I'm looking for a compact, wireless, programmable macropad for a somewhat unusual use case: controlling a Windows 11 application inside a hospital operating room.(clinical cases)
The XPPen ACK05 is almost exactly what I'm looking for, but there's one major issue: the rotary wheel.
The device may need to be placed inside a disposable protective plastic cover during procedures, which makes rotary wheels and knobs difficult to operate. It also needs to be easy to clean(with ethanol or other alcohol) and disinfect between uses, following hospital protocols.
Ideally, I'm looking for:
- 8–16 programmable physical buttons, preferably around 12
- Low-profile, laptop-style keys (scissor-switch, chiclet, or membrane), rather than traditional mechanical keyboard switches, or maybe some silicon based keys
- No rotary wheels, knobs, sliders, or joysticks
- Wireless connectivity, preferably 2.4 GHz via USB dongle, although reliable Bluetooth could work
- Long battery life, ideally weeks or longer between charges(this is critical, bc they forgot to charge sometimes the devices in the cilinc)
- Individual key remapping to trigger custom keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11
- Buttons that remain easy to press through a protective plastic cover, even while wearing surgical gloves
- Ideally, a surface that tolerates repeated cleaning with hospital disinfectant wipes(alcholos, ethanol or something like that)
- Customizable labels or markings would be a bonus bc i don't know each buttons function)
The budget is flexible, but prefer cheap options, and availability in Europe would be preferred.
I've also looked at devices like the Luminkey Nova Mini, but most alternatives seem to use relatively tall mechanical switches. Also screen not necessary bc of the battery lifetime. I have already looked some options but they were not ideal. (stream deck mobile, Xencelabs Quick Keys, Keychron, storm interface 700)
I'm specifically looking for something with the flat, compact design of the XPPen ACK05, just without the wheel.
This is currently a hardware evaluation. Any solution would still need appropriate infection-control, safety, and reliability validation before clinical use.
Does anyone know of an existing product that fits these requirements?
I'm also interested in industrial or medical-grade programmable keypads, not just consumer macropads.
Thanks!
