With more people than ever before spending time together not in person but via videoconferencing such as with Zoom meetings, there are more opportunities to make mistakes by hitting the wrong key on the keyboard. For example, when you think you have hit the mute button but really haven’t, it can make for an embarrassing situation. A new piece of hardware is being designed to help individuals avoid such problems. ChonkerKeys is a physically customizable keypad that comes in two sizes: Original and Max. The Original comes with 5 large buttons, while the Max model has 9 buttons. Each offers screen sharing, mute, leave meeting, and video buttons, among others. Both keypads are designed with smooth round sides and corners and enable users to fully arrange the buttons for a personalized layout based on different demands.
Of particular interest is the “Leave Meeting” key that dominates the keyboard and is a bright red so users will not accidentally hit the wrong command. The main attraction here is that users can reconfigure the keys, changing their position. So instead of repeatedly hitting the wrong key, the user just shifts its location for easier use. The ChonkerKeys team has chosen mechanical key switches that give a tactile feel and a satisfying click sound when users press them. ChonkerKeys is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter and is scheduled to ship in February of 2022.
For another Kickstarter project, check out the NOSU.