MIT researchers develop 'invisible' computer mouse

[Sporkman]

Researchers at MIT have developed a method to let users click and scroll, without an actual mouse.

Cup your palm, move it around on a table and a cursor on the screen hovers. Tap on the table like you would click a real mouse, and the computer responds...

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...ow/6151647.cms

[Stancel]

There is a program for Linux called MouseTrap that is supposed to use your webcam to control the mouse with the movements of your head or something like that. It didn't work correctly for me, even though I did get it to move a little, it froze up and I couldn't control my mouse anymore to exit the program. And you can't change the settings to probably make it move more efficiently (the green dot was at the top of my head) because it loads up the webcam automatically.

[Mr. Picklesworth]

Oh boy!

So instead of having a mouse with a small, cheap camera inside its case, we can have a bigger camera that sits right on the desk! It's like when you turn a mouse upside down and move your finger over the sensor, but now the pointer moves in the other direction and the sensor is bigger.

What a revolution!


Having said that, the actual gesture tracking system is probably pretty interesting. Hopefully their focus is on infrastructure instead of that pointless implementation.

[Stancel]

Oh boy!

So instead of having a mouse with a small, cheap camera inside its case, we can have a bigger camera that sits right on the desk! It's like when I turn a mouse upside down and move my finger over the sensor, but now the pointer moves in the other direction.

What a revolution!


Having said that, the actual gesture tracking system is probably pretty interesting. Hopefully their focus is on infrastructure instead of that pointless implementation.

They will never be able to compete with Canonical's revolutionary mouse.

[Redo]

First they get rid of tactile keyboards in place of awkward and hard to use touchscreen keyboards. Now they are developing a way to get rid of a tactile mouse.

What's wrong with buttons?????

[Legendary_Bibo]

I wish there was an application where you could control the pointer by your head. Blinking just your left eye would be a left click, right eye is right click, both eyes does nothing, and scroll wheel is replaced by rolling your eyes.

[Stancel]

I wish there was an application where you could control the pointer by your head. Blinking just your left eye would be a left click, right eye is right click, both eyes does nothing, and scroll wheel is replaced by rolling your eyes.

That's what MouseTrap is supposed to be. It's in the Ubuntu Software Center.

[Legendary_Bibo]

That's what MouseTrap is supposed to be. It's in the Ubuntu Software Center.

How well does it work?