Logitech's "Mouse that Feels"

Jayvz writes "There is short article on CNN saying that Logitech is to release the iFell MouseMan this fall. It vibrates (or rather feed-back) as you move your cursor over "texturized" pictures. " I saw a variation on this way bacj that was quite practical, but wasn't "texture" it was more "magnetic" (resize a window and have it feel like you're stretching a rubber band... drag a window to a border a feel resistance). Awesome stuff, but I'll believe it when its happening on my desk.

Comments

This I'd like to see.

[dietcrack]

Reuters:

Computer security experts warn of a new virus running rampant around the web, specifically targeted at users of the iFeel Mouseman force-feedback mouse. The virus, once it infects the user's computer, causes the mouse to zip off the desktop and repeatedly attack the user's genital area.

TO DO List

[NoahPhex]

1) Purchase a iFell MouseMan
2) Install the mouse
3) Search for texturized porn

New use for an old joke

[FascDot Killed My Pr]

...the iFell MouseMan...

I'll get one of these when I can also buy the iCan'tGetUp Keyboards and imHavingTroubleBreathing Joystick.
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Some thoughts

[Greyfox]

Logitech taught my mouse to feel, but now all it feels is hate.

Hope it doesn't use batteries. My secretary found out the pager vibrated and wore the batteries out.

We needed to sell something like this back when I was doing tech support, except that instead of vibrating it could deliver a powerful electric shock when the support rep generated a special DMTF tone. On more than one occasion I could have really used the ability to administer pain to the user. (The original suggestion was to wire thermite to the motherboard during the manufacturing process...)

for the disabled

[Docrates]

First I thought of porn (like everyone else it seems). then i say myself feeling for the borders of a window in order to resize it and think it'd be kinda cool, but couldn't put my finger on real value.. then it hit me.

wouldn't this make a terrific tool for the disabled? just come up with a brailey(sp) like code and all a blind person would have to do is move the mouse over the lines of text and he's reading it... the mouse would have to be very sensitive, but even if it isn't, with the right setup, heck it could feedback morse code back to the reader!.. just a thought

Re:for the disabled

[arensb]

wouldn't this make a terrific tool for the disabled? just come up with a brailey(sp) like code and all a blind person would have to do is move the mouse over the lines of text and he's reading it...

Absolutely, though probably not in the way you describe. Braille involves patterns of dots; a mouse pointer really only represents a single point, so what you describe would presumably be like reading braille with a toothpick (or, for a sighted person, having a 1x1 pixel monitor).

You could use the mouse as a "spotlight" onto an interesting area, and have some OCR tool translate the text into speech or something. But this doesn't require a force-feedback mouse.

The interesting thing about this mouse, IMHO, is that it might allow blind people to use off-the-shelf GUIs more easily. Most X window managers allow you to attach sounds to events such as entering/leaving a window, pulling down a menu, etc. Presumably these can now be complemented with textures attached to window borders, buttons, separators between menu items, etc.

Most online documents and software packages are not specifically designed for blind users (though they are spared the horror of the <BLINK> tag and flashing banner ads). ``Here's your copy of Emacspeak. It's extremely powerful, and millions of people swear by it. What's that? You'd rather use WordPerfect? Gee, I guess you're out of luck.''

A low-level tool that allows people to use any high-level software package would be a major goodism.

What I *really* want Logitech to do ...

[legLess]

...is create a mouse that I didn't have to click so damn hard. No - really. My carpal is bad, and Logitech doesn't help.

I ended up hacking the damn thing (MouseMan Wheel) apart and finding the little copper spring (very little - 8mm x 2mm x ~.2mm) the controls the click force. Bend it just so - viola - touch-sensitive mouse. It's good, but not perfect. It took me a couple hours to get it just right, and although there's no appreciable click point, there's still too much motion for my tastes (2 or 3 mm at the end of the button).

But it sure would be nice, as some people posted here before, to have a true touch-sensitive mouse. Maybe with one big "button" that could be programmed in zones. This is one area where having source code does you very little good. ;)

Re:Immersion Technology

[blakestah]

The tactile senses are not dominated by vibratory inputs. Indeed, the dominant component of texture is roughness, and it is purely spatial. Being able to mimic the surface texture, or even the surface roughness, would be extremely useful.

As far as force feedback, I generally think of it as quite a bit less useful than touch. You can numb the fingertips experimentally to demonstrate the really crude sorts of movements that are available with proprioceptive feedback but not cutaneous feedback.

This mouse is a cool step in the proper direction - but is VERY crude in simulation of actual touch.

Yes but...

[JCCyC]

- Will you feel the cold in your hand if your app freezes?
- Will it bite you and pass bubonic plague?
- Will it run away in terror if you type cat > /dev/mouse?
- Will it sense lame jokes like these and automatically close the window before you click "Submit"?

Count Microsoft among the skeptics.

[rw2]

The company has decided not to sell force-feedback mice because people find them distracting and not advanced enough to be of much use on the Web, said Mary Starman, a spokeswoman for Microsoft's hardware division.

The way they have been predicting the market lately this, IMO, pretty much locks things for Logitech. They have a winner on their hands.

Now if they could just such the damn blinkers off on their light mouse packaging so I can shop without going into a seizure, they'll conquer the world!

This is almost exactly what is needed.

[TheDullBlade]

The problem with mice is that you've always had to execute fine motor control with no tactile feedback. It takes too much concentration and slows everything down. When you can feel a button, it will be much easier.

But vibration is not the ideal way to do it. What would be perfect is instead of the buttons, have a small pin-grid array (like those toys you can press your hand or face onto and they'll retain the contours on the other side) connected to electromagnetic actuators to create a small textured area so you can really feel fine details (especially edges) with your fingertips.

Of course, that would be much more expensive, but would greatly improve the usability of GUIs.

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Despite rumors to the contrary, I am not a turnip.

Cool paper

[TheDullBlade]

This paper is about research like that.

Vibration is indeed useful, I never meant to dispute that. However, I still think a pin grid array would be more useful (provided it had high-enough resolution).

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Despite rumors to the contrary, I am not a turnip.