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Handhelds Input Devices

Fingertip Mouse Fits On a Ring 45

Posted by Soulskill from the one-ring-to-point-them-all dept.
Eric Smalley writes "The MicroPointing touchpad works by detecting the force your fingertip produces as it drags across the tiny device's three sensors, according to the company's patent application. The sensors are mounted on tiny posts spaced a few tenths of a millimeter apart — less than the size of a ridge on your fingertip."
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Fingertip Mouse Fits On a Ring More

Fingertip Mouse Fits On a Ring

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  • I want (Score:5, Funny)

    by geekoid ( 135745 ) <{moc.oohay} {ta} {dnaltropnidad}> on Friday June 24, 2011 @05:31PM (#36561538) Homepage Journal

    The ring with root access to all the other rings.

  • ... that Apple doesn't get a hold of the patent for this thing.

  • I saw a lot of what it could do, how it could change the world... but I did not see how it works!!!

    • I picture it working kind of like a cross between an optical mouse and one of those force feedback track pointers that sit between the G and H keys on some laptops. I hope it works better than those, or this is dead in the water.

      P.S. I just tried lying my mouse on its back and using my finger over the sensor. It kind of worked, but I had to lift and reposition quite often. I see that being a potential problem with this mouse system as well. Mind you, I do like the dual mouse concept. Plus, if they g
      • Force feedback? Trackpoints offered no form of mechanical response.

      • It kinda looked like it was like that... but the lack of any practical example makes me think this might be vaporware, not as practical as it seems or does not yet exist.

      • Mind you, I do like the dual mouse concept. Plus, if they get this working properly, maybe we can get a keyboard with a pair of mice built into the G and H keys (or the F and J keys). No more reaching for the mouse!

        Isn't having a 'mouse' on your fingertip or on keyboard keys going to wreak havoc when you type?

      • I really like my trackpoint, and I use it for nearly everything, Even PCB's, schematics, simulations etc etc. If you play around with the settings and get it to where when you think of where you want the cursor to go, and give the little stick the corresponding bump, you get close to your target (both the acceleration and speed settings are important!) then you use it for a couple weeks, you will be surprised how well they work.

        I can get it right in between the right two letters, or grab a component very ea

    • I've got a Fujitsu Lifebook Tablet PC. It has one of those tiny 1mm x 10mm fingerprint scanners built in so you can encrypt things and only be able to decrypt them with your fingerprint. (I know those things are foolable and I don't use it for that because I don't trust it to not screw up and lock me out of my own stuff.) Anyway, there is a driver installed that allows you to use the scanner as a tiny touch pad or mouse. I guess it is for precision pointing for those times when your finger is too fat. Well,
  • ...to rule them all. Seriously though, as someone with a RSI [wikipedia.org], this sounds like a great alternative. I have tried everything from the 3M Ergonomic Mouse [3m.com] to the Wacom [wacom.com] line of tablets (which I am currently using). This device sounds like a great alternative to the mouse...I only hope a Bluetooth version is made for the PC.

  • optical trackball (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Shompol ( 1690084 ) on Friday June 24, 2011 @05:59PM (#36561888)
    A glorified optical trackball? Only it is mechanical = will wear out much sooner.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Except for the ball and optical tracking, yes, it's just like an optical trackball.

      • There is no ball in the "optical trackball". Just a tiny static piece of plastic where "trackball" used to be. It's hard to see what it is on a picture [flickr.com] but stop by any mobile phone store and check out one of the later models from HTC and Blackberry.
  • I seem to recall a very small roller-controller that fit on your index finger, and was rolled by your thumb. I want to call it a Thumbelina (but maybe I'm just making that up), and I remember seeing on in use (step-sister's laptop) back in the days of the 486. Wonder what they've done with it over the last 20 years other than make it optical.

  • The MicroPointing touchpad works by detecting the force your fingertip produces as it drags across the tiny device's three sensors according to the company's patent application

    I created an all in one cure for cancer, hiv, and erectile dysfunction according to some pieces of paper I scribbled crayon onto.

  • Where does the ring come from? This is something they're hoping to embed on a touchscreen, so I'm not sure why ring is in the headline, and they've got that goofy graphic on the article. I'm not sure I could think of any scenario in which what is essentially a ring mounted mouse could be any help. It sure sounds cyberpunk, but becomes noticeably less so upon a little reflection.

    I'm also a little confused about what they think is going to happen with this: are we supposed to use it like a mouse on our smart

  • Wow, the video on that page looks and sounds just like a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy excerpt.

  • Reminds me of that old gadget about ten years ago where you'd place two strips along the X and Y-axis of your CRT so the ring mouse would allow you to navigate in all three dimensions.

  • Who would want a super advanced trackbally thing rather than a touchscreen? What's next, new compact-size punchcards? A dialing rotor with a maglev bearing?

    Humans like feedback, preferably tactile, but otherwise visual, so either real clicky things or touchscreens. And we dislike indirection, so press the button with your finger, not rub a blue dot to move a cursor and the press something else to select.

  • The HTC Desire already has a tiny pointing device integrated into its selection key (an optical mouse). How much smaller do these things need to be?

    http://www.htc.com/www/product/desire/overview.html [htc.com]

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