Thursday, 11 December 2014

Mycestro - 3D Mouse, Thumb Activated Wireless Mouse


Mycestro - 3D Mouse
The latest in the tech world is now the Mycestro 3D mouse, a thumb activated wireless mouse which can be attached to the index finger. A computer mouse which wraps round the finger could be good for a while though it could get a bit awkward. `Mycestro’, as the device is named is like a bulky futuristic ring which is around 4.5 cm long and appears like a sort of an arrowhead placed on the index finger, presently for now, only the right one.

The side closest to the thumb comprises of touchpad with three small buttons for scrolling, selecting and clicking and to use the Mycestro, one needs to plug a small Bluetooth dongle which comes with it in a USB port on the computer. Thereafter one can slide the ring on and touch the thumb anywhere on the side touchpad and begin waving the hand to see the movement of the cursor.

Though this mouse weighs only half an ounce, it tends to feel heavy really quickly and wearing it for more than half an hour while typing is a challenge. When it comes to human computer interface scenarios,we face these days; the traditional mouse has its limitations, which led to the original inspiration for this design.

Prototype Utilises 3D Space Recognition 

Nick Mastandrea, Founder of Ohio based Innovative Developments LLC, worked on the design for about two years. The present prototype utilises 3D space recognition in order to control the computer without the need for dedicated mouse space or a touchpad on the device.

Mycestro, which is the size of a Bluetooth earpiece is designed to be worn on the index finger and uses a combination of sensors as well as algorithms to collect finger movement information with a touch sensitive panel which is located at the side of the finger closest to the thumb.If the hand is removed from the mouse, the it remains inactive till it is touched and held anywhere on its side panel indicating that one can type or make a coffee without having to remove it. When the cursor gets active, finger movements together with the active thumb press directs it to the desired location while further thumb motions on the touch panel button provides a full range of mouse clicks as well as scroll functions.

Compatible with Bluetooth Smart Ready Devices 

The 3D mouse helps users to personalize programmable gesture commands along with the usual mouse functions like a flick or swipe movements. This device started at Kickstarter project in 2013 and presently being sold online for $149. The Kickstarter campaign is on to raise funds for tooling as well as preproduction prototype run. This mouse uses BLE – Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy Protocol in order to provide a range of 30 ft. and is compatible with Bluetooth Smart Ready devices which include iPads, MacBooks as well as any PC with a compatible BLE dongle. Android devices should probably be online by the end of the year according to its creators. The present version has two interchangeable clip sizes for different digits and can be charged through USB where a single charge is believed to provide eight hours of battery life based on its usage.

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