The Mouse That Runs Anywhere

i like it a lot.!

Hmmm, just an idea / comment / question....

Why try to build a "perfect" mouse when we could just build the "perfect" touch screen LCD that hopefully has no need for a mouse?

We could use the material that was featured yesterday for that LCD, hopefully, it should become sensitive enough to distinguish pressures or heat exerted in very small spaces for that "touch screen" LCD

@ Chipper

The problem with a touch screen is the same as computer interfaces you see in many futuristic movies (I'm thinking Minority Report off the top of my head). If you're using it for more than a few minutes it is really uncomfortable to hold your hand up as opposed to sliding it around on a desk.

Hi JRS ONE,

Then maybe one could just have a flexible LCD screen wherein it doesn't have to be oriented vertically with regards to the floor, for all we know an LCD screen could be invented that is flexible enough to be put in the lap of the person... so that should prevent strain on the hands of the person...

However, I agree, a mouse is more useful for conventional pc setups wherein the pc screen is in the "current" setup... which is some inches away from a person and is perpendicular to the person's vision.

Just that it takes so much to invent some peripheral that's supposed to work on any surface when some type of "way" would be better. Am not saying that the mouse would be obsolete someday, but it could be.... although am not sure about this.... coz I don't have a crystal ball... "winks"

We need a interactive desktop surface with hands gesture recognition.

$100 is a lot for a mouse, no matter what it does.

How about a system that tracks the movement of your eyes to determine where your attention is focused onscreen, then add facial commands(blinking combinations such as a double or triple blink, or subvocalization commands using a system that tracks your lips).

@Chipper Smoltz: What you just described is more commonly known as a tablet. Wacom's very popular digitizers work by emitting and sensing electromagnetic fields, allowing for a lot of versatility in the actual device used to do the input. Other technologies include optical (ie: MS surface), capacitive (ie: the touchpad on most laptops), and resistive.

There are a number of problems with using these technologies on a large scale. Unless the device incorporates a display, it's not really possible to use it in a multitouch manner (since you can't easily see where a touch will be registered). Incorporating a display is fairly expensive for even slightly mobile installations, which is the primary market for mice (even desktop PCs are moved with some regularity in most households).
Trying to balance sensor accuracy, surface area, cost, and mobility is a big concern. I, too dream of a future of OLED displays with embedded touch sensitive capabilities being commonplace, but I fear that future is still a decade or more off.

They already sell gyro mice for less than $100 sold by Gyration. From my personal experiance these are much more comfortable than touchscreens, and can be used in the air by tilting, or can be used like standard optical mice.

I like the technology but the more complicated it is, the more it costs and the easier it is to brake, at least in my opinion.
- DiGGY

♥jc♥ is that afordable????

What about a glove that could be motion sensored that would have the same idea as a touch screen but only you wouldnt be touching the screen? But a thin enough glove that will be easy to type. So basically you could still have your hand on the desk and move it as you would a mouse. I was thinking as the pointer finger as the main clicker(as on a mouse, the left), the middle finger would have the same function as the right side of a mouse and the ring finger as the scroller(on some mouses, the middle). And have a keyboard that when you need to type the keyboard detects that you are needing to type so you arent clicking all over the place. But in a way if someone were to make this, if it isnt already(Im not sure), it shouldnt be that expensive.