Sanwa Supply releases USB foot pedals that let you type with your feet

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Finally, some input with sole.

Sanwa Supply Keyboard
(Image credit: Sanwa Supply)

It's no secret that we're huge keyboard fans here at Tom's Hardware. From full-sized mechanical masterpieces to simple macropads, we love the huge assortment of options that are out there when it comes to input devices. When we came across this USB foot pedal system Sanwa Supply, dubbed the 400-MA179, it was so odd we knew we had to share it.

It connects using a standard USB Type-A port and has three buttons with pedals shielding them so you can step on them to actuate the button inside. It's important to note that this is mainly intended for key presses and has no pressure sensitivity, so you wouldn't be able to use it for racing games.

That said, it's great as a foot-powered macropad, as you can program the buttons to input any key you like. It has onboard memory that will store your preferences locally on the keyboard, so if you take it to another machine, the last saved settings will still apply even if it doesn't have the driver installed. You can program individual keypresses or combinations which can be useful for gaming or even improve workflow in professional environments.

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Sanwa Supply Keyboard
(Image credit: Sanwa Supply)

The 400-MA179 should fit easily under a desk. It measures 14.8 x 5.5 x 1.8in and weighs just .75lb. The cable is just over 6 feet long, so there's a bit of wiggle room as far as placement goes.

The 400-MA179 is listed for sale on the Sanwa Supply website for ¥ $5280, which is about $35.64 USD. According to the Sanwa Supply website, the purchase also includes a 6-month warranty that begins when the purchase is made.

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Ash Hill
Ash Hill
Contributing Writer

Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.

9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Crazyy8
    Budget pedals for a budget sim rig. Sure, it only has on and off, but you got all you need: power, brake, and clutch.
    Reply
  • Findecanor
    I'm pretty sure that this exact product has been on the market for quite a few years already.

    BTW. There are also special foot-pedals available as an accessory to the Kinesis Advantage ergonomic keyboard. It has a special port for Kinesis' foot pedals.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    Findecanor said:
    BTW. There are also special foot-pedals available as an accessory to the Kinesis Advantage ergonomic keyboard. It has a special port for Kinesis' foot pedals.
    I've used Kinesis keyboards with foot pedals. I don't any more, but it was neat to use for modifier keys, like shift and ctrl. If you use those keys a lot, it might be worthwhile for you.

    A funny thing I noticed is that my foot would be reaching for these pedals, even when I was sitting at a machine that didn't have them. Muscle memory is strong, apparently.
    Reply
  • Notton
    I always wanted one of these for games.
    I really hate when a dev decides to be fancy with their game and has jump, sprint, crouch, dodge, and a crouch+dodge=slide dodge as vital parts of gameplay, but forgets that the human hand doesn't have 7 fingers.

    yes, I am looking at you fatshark and darktide, although you are not the only one.
    Reply
  • atomicWAR
    As a paraplegic I obviously won't have much use for these. Now give me a head-butt keyboard for typing those frustrating moments and I am all in. Take my money now please.
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    The question I have is: What's wrong with mice with thumbpads in the workplace, like the Logitech G600? Plenty of buttons for modifier key combos (control, shift, control+shift), and macros, and doesn't take up under desk space.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    The question I have is: What's wrong with mice with thumbpads in the workplace, like the Logitech G600? Plenty of buttons for modifier key combos (control, shift, control+shift), and macros, and doesn't take up under desk space.
    In the example I gave, the benefit of foot pedals was that I didn't have to move my hands from the home row, like I would with a mouse. In fact, to move my hand from the keyboard to a mouse would be way more effort than just hitting the ctrl or shift key. If you're doing a lot of typing, being able to keep your hands over the letters is a substantial benefit of using foot pedals.
    Reply
  • Findecanor
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    The question I have is: What's wrong with mice with thumbpads in the workplace, like the Logitech G600? Plenty of buttons for modifier key combos (control, shift, control+shift), and macros, and doesn't take up under desk space.
    Arguments I've heard against them include that they are difficult to distinguish, require high dexterity and you risk having them in the way of gripping.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    Findecanor said:
    Arguments I've heard against them include that they are difficult to distinguish, require high dexterity and you risk having them in the way of gripping.
    5 years ago, I actually bought a gaming mouse and took it into the office. Not for the first time, either. The main reason being higher quality buttons that don't get flaky, after a while. Better resolution and higher sampling rate are also nice benefits, but more subtle.

    For me, the main downside is when I accidentally hit a button on the mouse that changes the sensitivity or is mapped to some function or key and I don't use it enough to remember which. Worse, our corporate IT policy prevents me from installing the software I'd need to customize the button mappings or other settings, so I'm basically stuck with it as-is.
    Reply