ErgoDox

ErgoDox is a family of split ergonomic keyboards designed to reduce finger movement and promote a natural wrist posture. The design centers on two independent halves that can be placed at a chosen distance and angle, with each half offering a grid-style main key area and a prominent thumb cluster for modifiers and navigation. The halves are linked by a cable and can be oriented for tenting and angled layouts to suit the user’s stance. The boards are built for mechanical switches and use open hardware with customizable PCBs and cases, and they support standard key switch sizes.

The project emphasizes open-source firmware and documentation. Early ErgoDox firmware was TMK-based, with later support from the QMK ecosystem, enabling per-key remapping, layers, and macros across achievable layouts and languages. The hardware and firmware have been shared openly, encouraging community contributions.

Origin and variants: ErgoDox began in the early 2010s as a do-it-yourself project that released hardware designs and firmware under permissive licenses. It led to variants such as the original ErgoDox Classic DIY kit and the ErgoDox EZ, a commercially produced version with pre-assembled hardware and easier setup.

Impact: The ErgoDox influenced the mechanical keyboard community by popularizing split ergonomic designs and open customization, contributing to ongoing innovation in layout experimentation and modular keyboards.