<aside> 🌕 Hello everyone, this is Neo Studio. As many of you may know, the Ergo project, which aims at an ergonomic yet aesthetically pleasing aluminum keyboard, was announced quite some time ago. We have gone through multiple rounds of prototyping, and refined the design throughout this process. In this document, please kindly allow us to share the thoughts for this project along the journey.
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram for the latest updates. (*￣︶￣)
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https://youtu.be/l3oKMdMmDR4?si=7gGlSTMv4bicO_FU
<aside> 📌 This document is only referring to the Neo Ergo sale on qwertykeys.com. All details are subject to change before the sale. Neo Studio reserves the right to make any changes to the details and information on this document without notification.
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Ergonomic keyboards were designed to alleviate chronic wrist and shoulder injuries caused by intensive typing. Most ergonomic mechanical keyboards available today are designed based on the Lynworks EM7 and TGR Alice in terms of layout and structure, primarily focusing on improving wrist and forearm angles. However, factors such as tilt angle, rotation, and finger placement are often overlooked. After using and analyzing numerous open-source ergonomic projects, we incorporated all these essential elements into our design and created the Neo Ergo.
Although the split ergo is a popular choice for ergonomic keyboards nowadays, it does come with a steep learning curve. To balance easy adoption with ergonomic design, we've chosen a tilted Alice layout for this project.
The standard Alice layout allows our wrists to maintain a relatively natural position during typing, yet it doesn't address the forearm rotation. Experience with Logitech K680 has enlightened us to explore beyond the two-dimensional system. Ideally, only the outer rims of the hands and the small fingers should make contact with the desk while typing. Therefore, the tent is added in the middle of Neo Ergo to allow hands to rotate slightly outwards, reducing wrist rotation and relieving tension in the forearm muscles.
We believe symmetry is crucial to the aesthetics of the Alice-style keyboard, so it's one of our main considerations when designing the layout for Neo Ergo. We made the alpha areas to be nearly symmetric to accommodate different typing habits while incorporating multiple options such as 2.25+2.75 spacebars, split backspaces, split shift and arrow keys, all of which are configurable in VIA. Furthermore, we positioned the F and J keys symmetrically to minimize the height difference between the left and right hands while typing.
The appearance of Neo Ergo continues the Neo family's simple and retro design style. We've added RGB light strips in the spaces between the keys for embellishment. The color of the light strip can be adjusted according to personal preference, making it easy to match with different themed keycaps.
Like the Neo65 and Neo70, Ergo's side profile is simple and considerate, featuring an inward-sloping edge for easier pick-up. We've concentrated on the design around the USB port to minimize the bulky look created by the tenting case. The bevel above the USB port enhances the dynamism of the side profile, which also forms a natural transition from the top to side.
This time, we've included “the kernel” between the top and bottom case. It does not only host the batteries, daughterboard, and magnetic connectors, but also provides an additional element for customization.
