MIT researchers develop ‘invisible’ computer mouse

WASHINGTON - 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.

According to Wired News, the project, called “Mouseless” and developed by Pranav Mistry, uses an infrared laser beam and camera to track the movements of the palm and fingers and translate them into computer commands.

When a user cups their hand as if a physical mouse was present under their palm, the laser beam lights up the hand that is in contact with the table. The infrared camera detects this and interprets the movements.

However, user interfaces have gone beyond the conventional mouse use. And mouse hardware itself is cheap, so there’s not much of a cost saving here.

Last week Intel CTO Justin Rattner said though Intel research labs is working on new touchscreen ideas, the mouse and keyboard combination is unlikely to be replaced in everyday computing for a long time. (ANI)