Mouseless Mouse !!!

Can you imagine a PC without a mouse? Nowadays a mouse is necessary to do any kind of work on a computer. There have been some other pointing devices like trackballs in the market but nothing could beat the popularity of mouse. The only other pointing device in common usage is the trackpad used in laptops but many laptop users also prefer using a mouse. Now think that this mouse disappears! Thats right - it not just becomes invisible - as in made of glass or some other transparent material, it just disappears altogether. No mouse. So how do we work? We just imagine we are working with a mouse - and it works! Yes - almost magically. One scientist at MIT has come up with just this thing and its name is "Mouseless".


Mouseless can be defined as an invisible mouse. Amazing thing is that you will feel that you are using a mouse but actually there is no physical mouse. What you have to do is to keep your hand in a cupped position as if you are holding a mouse, tap your fingers for left and right clicks and the system will detect movements and clicks. Now you must be wondering that how does it work. Well, I too was curious about the details and here they are.

How does it work?
This mechanism works with the help of an Infrared laser beam and an Infrared camera both embedded in the computer. The laser beam module is modified with a line cap and placed such that it creates a plane of IR laser just above the surface the computer sits on. The user puts his hand in a position as if he is holding a mouse. When the user moves his hand, the infrared camera detects the movement and the cursor on the screen also moves accordingly. In the same way when the user taps his index finger, the camera again detects the movement and converts it into a mouse click.


The ‘Mouseless' device has been developed by the Fluid Interfaces Group at the Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under supervision of Mr. Pranav Mistry. The video below gives the details of its workings in a very enjoyable and entertaining way.



As for the cost, unlike many research projects, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. According to the project's webpage, a fully functional prototype of ‘Mouseless' costs just $20 (approx Rs 1000) to build. I suppose the cost would come down further if this enters mass production.

The main page of the MIT project is here.