keypunch

A mechanical device whose keys are pressed, individually or in combination, to punch holes in punched cards or paper tape that correspond to particular characters.

In an admirable combination of the skills of the scientist and the sensitivity of the artist, he mapped hundreds of thousands of images through a keypunch data-processing system and then tried to understand the meanings of the patterns that emerged independent of his own classifications.

An electric machine with a keyboard that has the same function.

To use such a device or machine