Tag Archives: computer mouse

Orbit PC mouse gives your upper body an exercise to avoid strain injuries

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The computer mouse today may look a bit different compared to its first incarnation, but the fundamental design of this important input device hasn’t exactly changed over the decades. That, unfortunately, also means that the problems associated with this old design haven’t really disappeared either, especially those that cause physical injury over time. There has been a great deal of interest lately in redesigning the mouse to be more ergonomic, but not everyone agrees that changing the shape is enough. This design concept, for example, takes a very different approach to resolving the problem of repetitive strain injury or RSI, mostly by shifting the movement away from the arm and wrists and giving your upper body a workout instead.

Designer: Simon Hochleitner

The computer mouse and even the computer keyboard are very unnatural interfaces as far as our bodies are concerned. Especially with the mouse, the hand and the arm it’s attached to are forced into an unnatural position, whether it is in motion or at rest. The movements associated with prolonged and repeated use of the mouse eventually lead to what is sometimes called “mouse arm,” as well as the injuries that come with it. You might think that your arm is getting some exercise, but it’s really the wrong kind of movement and resting position that actually causes those injuries.

Ergonomic mice can only do so much since it simply shifts the tension and strain to other parts of the hand and arm. Orthopedists and physiotherapists might have a different idea on how to solve this problem, and it unsurprisingly involves using correct movements and posture. What may come as a surprise, however, is how this can be done by simply changing the way we use the mouse.

James Dyson Award national winner Orbit redesigns the mouse not by changing its shape but by changing the way we move it across a flat surface. Instead of simply sliding over a mouse pad, Orbit has three resistance bands that hold the “mouse” in the center. To move the mouse, you have to exert a bit of effort to counter the resistance, which, in turn, shifts the force to other muscle groups, particularly the ones responsible for posture. With this system, the body is forced not to slouch and use those upper body muscles instead of relying on wrist and forearm muscles to move the mouse.

Orbit actually does change the design of the mouse by turning it into a joystick. Unlike a typical joystick, however, you still have to move it across the surface, much like a mouse. The only difference is that the joystick shape keeps the arm in a more natural position to reduce stress. The touch-sensitive ring on top acts as a mouse wheel so that you don’t have to change your hand’s position or stop the movement just to use it. There is also a “flat” version that more closely resembles a traditional mouse that’s designed for gamers.

Whether it’s changing the shape of the mouse or adding some resistance, it’s encouraging to see designers challenging the status quo when it comes to this input device. It might still take some time before the industry embraces these ideas, but increasing awareness about the problems with computer mice is an important first step in changing people’s perceptions.

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Mouse concept uses classic trackball as design inspiration

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If you’ve ever used an old-school mouse from years ago, you’re probably familiar with the trackball inside the mouse. It was both annoying (when it failed to work) and also somewhat satisfying when you would roll it around while using it. The mouse has evolved the past years and now we get wireless Bluetooth devices without trackballs. Actually, a lot of those who use macbooks and some laptops don’t even use a mouse anymore. But that doesn’t mean product designers can’t come up with something new.

Designer: Ozan Kayıkcı

The roo+ bt mouse & air trackball concept uses the trackballs from the earliest designs of the mouse. But instead of just being a part of the mouse, this trackball is now the actual mouse itself. The base is originally flat but when you flip it over, it can become oval as well, in case you need to use something like that. They said the idea for this concept is just the mouse going back to its roots, hence the name of the mouse that is based on the trackball itself.

Other than the images showing the inspiration for this mouse and air trackball, there is not much information about what it can actually do. Well, obviously it will be able to do what a mouse does which is help move your cursor around the screen of your laptop or desktop. A lot of people who do graphic design, edit videos, or who play games on their devices still need the more precise mouse rather than the trackpad on their laptops.

This concept seems to just be that but with a classic mouse, or rather the trackball inside it, as a basis for the design. It’s also smaller than other regular devices so if you don’t have much space on your desk, this is a convenient one to have.

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This tiny portable wearable mouse lets you universally control all your gadgets with gestures

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One wearable to rule them all…

What VANZY offers is best described as the future of Human Interface. Conventionally, we used keyboards and mice, then we used touch-sensitive displays. However, now, VANZY lets you control all your devices with mere hand gestures, sort of like Tony Stark. Designed to sit on your finger like a ring, VANZY is an Air Mouse and a motion-sensing controller that gives you advanced controls over all your devices. You could swipe or perform gestures to move slides in a presentation, increase or decrease volume while listening to music, skip the intro on Netflix shows, play games, or do a variety of other things. VANZY’s ring also works like a computer mouse or trackpad that allows you to use it as a conventional cursor controller on your laptop or tablet, sort of like a wearable mouse. You can even control elements in VR, and potentially even use the VANZY to keymap some words, making it quite literally the ultimate input device for any gadget you have… and it’s small enough to fit around your finger.

Designer: CoX Space

Click Here to Buy Now: $89 $129 (31% off). Hurry, for a limited time only.

About as small as a ring, VANZY comes with a 9DoF sensor that allows it to perform high-quality 3D spatial recognition and an advanced chipset that allows it to recognize as many as 7 different gestures across multiple software and on Windows, Macintosh, Android, and iOS devices. The premise behind the VANZY is simple – in a world with multiple devices that you control by touching and tapping with your fingers, why can’t your finger just be a mouse instead, working like a wand to operate any device it’s connected to? To that end, VANZY works with phones, tablets, and even laptops via Bluetooth, letting you operate them intuitively by waving your hands, or use the trackpad on the VANZY to control them more precisely.

The finger-worn ring works in two ways – either by recognizing movements and gestures, or by allowing you to navigate your device via the trackpad on top of the VANZY. The trackpad works just like the touch surface on your TWS earbuds does. You can keep the mouse functions by touching and dragging your thumb; left touch to left-click, right touch to right-click, and swiping for scroll-down/up on the VANZY. As far as gestures go, VANZY recognizes common gestures like swiping left, right, up, down, circling clockwise, anti-clockwise, and moving forward (like you’re pointing in the air).

Morning Routine – Turn your finger clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust the volume on your earbuds without taking your phone out first.

At Work – Perfect companion for lectures, presentations, and meetings. VANZY gives you precise control, even from a distance.

For Content Creators – Makes the discomfort of swapping between devices a thing of the past. Just use your finger.

VR Controlling – VANZY is not limited to just the material world.

Bar Cradle – Lets you use VANZY as a clicker.

However, each VANZY comes with a dock (also known as the Bar Cradle ) that charges your VANZY’s built-in battery. Dock your ring in the Bar Remote and you’ve got a 3D spatial tracking remote control that you can use to operate your television, play games, or even work your laptop. When docked in the Bar Remote, VANZY recognizes 4 gestures (up, down, left, and right). VANZY’s gestures and controls can be calibrated and programmed via the app, while the ring itself boasts of machine learning that gets better and better over time at doing exactly what you want it to do. This means the VANZY trains itself based on your usage, becoming a better wearable controller for you, rather than forcing you to learn how to use it a certain way.

This isn’t the first time someone’s designed something as ambitious as VANZY. The device’s own designer, CoX Space created a previous iteration, dubbed Snowl back in 2020. VANZY builds on Snowl’s capabilities, in the same ring-based avatar, but with a much better internal chipset, and overall more robust construction. Each VANZY comes with a fortified glass touch surface, and is designed to be entirely waterproof (so you could use your VANZY while cooking, or potentially even in the shower). The hardware device that sits on your finger weighs a paltry 5 grams, and with the Bar Cradle, is bumped up to 52 grams, making it ridiculously lightweight yet just as versatile. You can grab your own VANZY now on Kickstarter (at an early adopter’s price of $89) with shipping beginning in November. The VANZY comes in a classic black finish with a silicone ring (in medium and large sizes), although, if you want to show off your all-controlling all-powerful wearable gadget, you can choose a gold and silver metal ring too!

Click Here to Buy Now: $89 $129 (31% off). Hurry, for a limited time only.

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This self-made engraved metal mouse is craftsmanship at its finest

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We’ve seen a few interesting takes on the computer mouse, most of them trying to put a more ergonomic spin on a device that has changed little in the past decades. There are some that do defy commonly held standards in order to create an artful masterpiece that probably wouldn’t pass usability tests. And then there are those that end up making our jaws drop in how they turn a utilitarian piece of technology into an elaborate luxury item. It might not be made out of gold, but this metal mouse puts those expensive mice to shame by the sheer amount of details and the fact that it was all crafted by hand at someone’s personal workshop.

Designer: Uri Tuchman

The basic design of the mouse hasn’t changed that much ever since the day it was first revealed to the public in 1968. You have a mostly rectangular piece of plastic with buttons on its head for clicking and some mechanism to actually map hand movements to the digital cursor on the screen. That mouse was never designed for comfort or efficiency, so designers and engineers have tried to refine that design over the years without completely throwing the mouse concept out the window.

There are also some that have instead tried to glorify the electronic rodent with a different form or representation. We’ve seen transparent or leather-encased mice, mice that look like whales, and mice that can be flat-packed when not in use. This handcrafted mouse definitely takes the cake, though, because every part is made from scratch from metal, except for the electronics, of course.

There’s almost something mesmerizing about seeing metal getting whittled down to size and shape, presuming you have your speakers muted. It’s even more mind-blowing when you learn that each piece of the mouse, other than the electronics where cut and shaped from raw pieces of metal. Not a single part, including the slots for the screws as well as the mouse wheel, was bought from stores. But that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Each visible side of the mouse except the bottom is filled with ornamental patterns. And all these patterns were drawn and then engraved by hand. Yes, each of the flowing curves and shapes was painstakingly chiseled manually, with no assistance from a computer or a robot. The time-lapsed video makes it look too easy, but the intricate details clearly took hours and days of work.

This beautifully engraved mouse does also work, though it’s hard to imagine it will be a comfortable experience in the long run. Of course, the project wasn’t made for ergonomics in the first place, so that’s not a fair point against it. It’s a handsome piece of art, without a doubt, and the fact that it actually works is just the icing on top.

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Pikachu Wireless Mouse with Ear Buttons: Pikachu, I Click You!

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Because Pokémon fans really like to immerse themselves in the franchise in every way possible (nothing wrong with that), Brando is selling an officially licensed wireless Pikachu mouse with a scroll wheel and ears that double as the mouse’s buttons. How about that! Obviously, whenever I’m using the scroll wheel, I’m going to pretend I’m petting sweet little Pikachu to sleep.

The $51 mouse is powered by a single AA battery and operates via an 800dpi optical sensor, with a wireless range of around 26 feet. You know, in case you like to stand REALLY far away from your computer screen to challenge your vision. Me? I can’t even read the top of my optometrist’s eye chart. I think it’s a smiley emoji?

Now all you need is a keyboard with Pokémon-themed keycaps to complete your Pokémon computer, or Poképuter as you should call it. You should probably also add a pair of googly eyes and a tail to your computer case while you’re at it.

[via TechEBlog]

Pikachu wireless mouse will send good vibes while you work

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Few people know that Pikachu is actually a rodent, so this computer peripheral drives that trivia home while attempting to make you feel just as relaxed as the critter sleeping under your hand.

The fact that the computer mouse is called a mouse is almost an accident of history. Its creator, Douglas Engelbart, simply likened it to the rodent because of the cable that ran out of its blocky body. There were no signs of ears or even a nose, but that name stuck for lack of a better alternative. Not everyone likes a computer mouse, and even fewer probably like the biological kind, but many will probably dig this mouse in the shape of one of the most iconic Pokemon in history, whether you’re a fan of the franchise or not.

Designer: Brando

With its long ears and lightning-shaped tail, it’s really hard to believe that Pikachu is a mouse. We won’t argue with its creators, of course, but it’s clear that they took liberties on what defines a mouse, almost like the same liberties Engelbart took when he named the computing input device. It’s probably for the best that the yellow fuzzball known as Pikachu doesn’t look like a mouse at all since it has made the fictional critter a beloved mascot the world over.

This wireless mouse tries to capture the cuteness of the Pokemon in a way that makes most people go “ooooh” and “aaaaaw” in delight. To more closely resemble the shape of a computer mouse, Pikachu lies prone its stomach, with its legs splayed out in a carefree and relaxing manner. The creature’s face displays happy contentment in its sleep as if trying to invite you to let go of the stress of work in a similar fashion.

Pikachu’s ears are pulled back in order to form the shape of mouse buttons, with a more traditional scroll wheel in the middle. Placing your fingers on top of these buttons almost make you feel like you’re petting the cute rodent, an action that is believed to induce feelings of relaxation and calm in humans. What better way to spend your working hours than by balancing stress and peace in the same hand.

The mouse is described to be a comfortable fit in your hand, though the raised portion for Pikachu’s tail could be a problem for your palm. Fortunately, the mouse’s design is so symmetrical that it can be used in either left or right hand. That relieves interested buyers another source of stress when they realize they won’t be left out from this cute accessory just because they’re left-handed.

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Logitech’s spaceship-like mouse concept is designed to save your wrist

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There is no shortage of ergonomic computer mice that claim to deliver the most painless experience, but this concept turns the solution on its head and transforms the mouse into something completely different.

With the advent and prevalence of laptops and their trackpads, computer mice have mostly been pushed to the background. There are, however, scenarios where the completely flat and smooth surfaces of these trackpads are not only impractical but almost unusable, like with games. Regardless of the reasons, computer mice haven’t completely vanished from the market, but neither have they evolved significantly. They are still an ever-present risk to our wrists, and designers have repeatedly gone back to the drawing board to concoct the most ergonomic mouse around. For one designer, the answer ironically turned out to be quite different from a mouse.

Designer: Jason Wang

Although they have become the essential ways we interact with computers, the keyboard and the mouse are not the healthiest methods for our hands and wrists. Repetitive strain injury and carpal tunnel syndrome can be crippling for today’s generation whose lives and work depend on computers. There have been quite a few ergonomic mice designs available today, including the Lunar Artefacts Pointer Instrument that we reviewed recently, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

Designer Jason Wong went back to the drawing board to reimagine what an ergonomic mouse would look and feel like without being limited to the traditional concept of a mouse. He started out with something that looked a lot like many ergonomic mice, with cutouts and flaps for supporting the fingers. From there, however, things took on a rather strange turn that led to something that is both from the past and the future.

After testing out what looks like a mouse on a stand, Wong ended up with what he describes as a vertical mouse joystick design. Unlike a typical joystick, which predates the mouse, the person won’t need to keep a grip on the device and simply lay their hand on the supporting structure. There is even wrist support to help keep your arm from getting strained while in the position.

While the alien-like form gives the hand and wrist some structural support, the materials that Wang chose are meant to offer both comfort and visual identity. A fabric mesh covers the hand and wrist support surface for comfort, while rubber coating offers a better grip. There are shifts in material from metal to plastic to create a visual break, though that, unfortunately, does imply the use of some unsustainable materials.

This concept, which the designer dubs the Logitech MX K01, is truly unorthodox in its appearance and design. Its ergonomics try to use the natural vertical position of the hand to avoid straining the wrist, while the flowing lines of the structure provide not only points of visual interest but also ergonomic support for the hand. That said, it’s a concept that probably needs proper clinical testing to verify its ergonomic value, though, at this point, it can hardly be called a mouse anymore.

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This inclusive computer mouse redefines the gadget’s design by working using the wrist, no fingers needed!

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Allin is an inclusive, barrier-free mouse that was designed to be ergonomic specifically catering to the needs of amputees and those who struggle to use computer mouses.

Most of us are working on our laptops or desktops for the entire workday, but not without consequence. From our eyes to our wrists, from our posture to our bums, we go through physical strain every day just by sitting at our desks and staring at our computer screens while endlessly typing.

Providing their own solution to one part of this daily struggle, Designer Dot conceptualized Allin, an ergonomic mouse designed specifically for amputees and others who have trouble operating desktop and laptop mouses.

Constructed with a curved design, Allin features a soft impression where users can place their wrists to access the mouse’s control functions. Replacing the right and left click buttons with right and left tilt buttons, users simply lean their wrists to one side or the other to click links on their computer screens.

The mouse tilt buttons are positioned at different angles to ensure that the intended button is clicked. The left tilt button clicks at approximately 45 degrees while the right tilt button can be clicked at 20 degrees. Wireless by design, Allin comes with an accompanying magnetic charger that provides the mouse with enough charge to last through the workday.

Primarily designed for amputees and for those who struggle to use computer desktop and laptop mouses, Allin is ergonomically designed to fit every human’s natural wrist movement. Allin is a supplemental computer accessory that can be partnered with any laptop or desktop computer to ease the physical strain that comes with working at a keyboard all day.

Designer: Designer Dot

The magnetic charger provides Allin with the battery necessary for its wireless function.

Embedded technology reconceptualizes the inner workings of traditional computer mouses.

With a minimal outer surface, Allin can adapt to any brand of computer or laptop.

Allin is envisioned in matte black, off-white, blush pink, and lemon yellow.

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Endless hours of gaming? The Zephyr Pro mouse comes with its own inbuilt fan to keep your palms cool

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Sweaty palms after an intense round of Fortnite or GTA or whatever it is everyone’s playing these days? Wouldn’t it be nice if your mouse also had a fan to keep your hand cool as you gamed? That’s practically the business pitch of Marsback’s Zephyr Pro gaming mouse.

The Zephyr Pro comes with an ergonomic form and a hollow cage design that makes it lightweight and breathable… but that’s not all. The mouse even comes fitted with its own cooling fan underneath the cage, constantly pushing a breeze of cool air to keep your palms from getting sweaty (Eminem would approve). For added flair, the fan comes with RGB LED backlights, creating a ‘light-show’ that one can only come to expect from gaming hardware.

Designer: Marsback

The Zephyr Pro is the spiritual successor to Marsback’s Zephyr gaming mouse, which garnered support from over 700 backers on Kickstarter around July last year. Touted as a ‘sweatproof’ mouse, the hardware may be targeted towards gamers, but it serves its purpose for pretty much anyone who works long hours (WFH, am I right?) The upgraded design’s made to be quieter and less prone to vibration than its predecessor. It comes with customizable RGB lighting, and is powered by the Pixart 3389 Sensor that gives you a sensitivity range between 100 to 16,000 DPI. You can calibrate the RGB lights and your mouse’s sensitivity to fit your needs, and the Zephyr Pro’s onboard memory remembers your settings every time.

The mouse comes in 2 colors – black or white – although the RGB lights make up by offering 16.8 million colors to choose from (customizable via a software that lets you even create custom key-binds, macros, and profiles). The mouse weighs a mere 65g, making it even lighter than the Makalu 67 – even though that didn’t have a fan, and comes with a durable construction, featuring OMRON switches that are good for 50 million clicks, PTFE footpads that travel smoothly on surfaces without damaging them, and a high-grade paracord cable that’s both durable as well as low-friction, allowing you to glide your mouse across your table with sheer ease.

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How Do You Choose a Suitable Computer Mouse for You?

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People who use desktop computers most of the time and those who alternately use laptops often use a computer mouse to work faster. Heavy computer users find using a mouse more comfortable and convenient. While a mouse is a very handy tool for computer work, it can give your wrist and hand muscles stress. Using the wrong size or shape of the mouse may also be the cause of injury later. With the increasing use of ergonomic tools and equipment, you can easily purchase an ergonomic mouse today. How do you choose the right ergonomic mouse? An ergonomic mouse can…

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