Keyboards are a relatively new invention, but their form factor is quite old. It stems from old typewriters, where it was convenient to have them the way they were to minimize the amount of keys getting stuck. This means that the current layout of keyboards is outdated, suboptimal, and non-intuitive; this is especially true for languages that do not use the Latin alphabet, since the layout was not created with other languages in mind. Take Korean, for example; the Korean keyboard is very non-intuitive, especially for those who have not typed on a keyboard since they were young.

After thinking about an approach for a few minutes, I came to a realization; most, if not all, Korean characters could be drawn in a 3x3 grid. I quickly came up with a layout with the 3x3 grid, a space key, an enter key, and a shift key. This was quite simple, thanks to the Keyboard Layout Editor, which allows the user to create keyboard layouts easily. Then, I created a simple PCB based on the layout using KiCad, which is an open source schematic and PCB builder. Using footprint and symbol libraries from Keeb.io and Ai03, I was able to create the keyboard. I programmed the keyboard with QMK firmware, which is an open source keyboard firmware generator that works on ATmega32U4 and similar chips. In order to keep the circuit simple, I opted to use an ATmega32U4-based microcontroller board called the Elite-C, which supports USB-C. I was able to create a case using Tinkercad, which is a free, online 3d modeling tool that is easy to use.

Result

I was able to create a keyboard that was intuitive and easy to use; the commercialization of the product is imminent. This will most likely be a limited-production item, something akin to a simple proof-of-concept for this type of keyboard. The design could be updated to forgo the Elite-C and instead use individual parts to keep the price down. Also, the housing is currently lacking in that it does not protect the PCB fully; a simple screw-type assembly may be required in future revisions of the product.