Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Item

The orienting mouse: An input device with attitude

Abstract
This paper presents a modified computer mouse, the Orienting Mouse, which delivers orientation as an additional dimension of input; when the mouse is moved on a flat surface it reports, in addition to the conventional x, y translation, angular rotation of the device in the x, y plane. The orienting mouse preserves important properties of the standard mouse; all measurements are relative and movement is tracked only while the mouse is on its flat surface. If the user lets go of the mouse, leaving it on the surface, its position and orientation do not change until it is touched again. Picking the mouse up and putting it down in a different orientation leaves the angle and position unchanged. While the concept of sensing mouse rotation is not new, our work focuses on movement and navigation in 3D, rather than on precision positioning tasks. We describe a number of sample applications developed to test its effectiveness in this context. Specific features exploited and described include (i) an algorithm for calculating the mouse angle which cancels drift between the two sensors, and (ii) the use of angular gearing which avoids unnatural and uncomfortable hand positions when moving through large angles; informal user testing validates this idea.
Type
Working Paper
Type of thesis
Series
Computer Science Working Papers
Citation
Apperley, M., & Rogers, B. (2013). The orienting mouse: An input device with attitude. (Working paper 08/2013). Hamilton, New Zealand: University of Waikato, Department of Computer Science.
Date
2013-11
Publisher
University of Waikato, Department of Computer Science
Degree
Supervisors
Rights
© 2013 Mark Apperley and Bill Rogers