Posted by
CmdrTaco
on from the and-it-fits-in-the-palm-of-your-hand dept.
FTL writes "Turn an ordinary wheel mouse into a 3D pointing device. All one needs is some string, some hot melt glue, and a lot of math. 3D mice have been floatingaroundforawhile, what will it take to get people to use them?"
I agree.
Most of the posts so far have only shown that most have no idea how users interact with machines, let alone how the posters themselves interact with their own machines.
Even a 3D GUI couldn't use a 3D mouse. Motion in the virtual space is accomplished much the way we move in real space. Forward and back. Rotate and Tilt. Sounds a lot like flying. Everything depends on point of view and line of sight.
Now for digitizing, a 3D mouse still wouldn't work, although the absolute positioning would be useful. In this case, various commercial digitizing arms already suffice and many softwares already convert photos to 3D. It would be better to have a (radar/sonar/video) sensor locate our finger tips and extrapolate what we are "pointing" at.
Maybe people should look up the old PARC research, eh?
What will it take?
by
Andy_R
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
As with all technologies: A killer app.
-- A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
What will it take to get people to use them?
by
GillBates0
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· Score: 2, Insightful
3D mice have been floating around for a while, what will it take to get people to use them?
Most likely a functional 3D GUI.
-- An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
That "interesting", but what about...
by
ShaggyZet
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· Score: 4, Insightful
...just using the wheel as the third dimension, depth? And not just for zooming in on a window, but for actually navigating in a 3d space. I never much liked the idea of a scroll wheel anyway. It's find for reading documents (yes, I know that all some people use their computers for), but it doesn't really fit in to any other UI paradigm that exists today. I think using it for depth in a 3d space would feel very natural.
Re:Interesting concept
by
Fizzol
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· Score: 4, Insightful
>Because it's a neat hack. Sheesh what more reason do you need?
Yes, it's a neat hack. But when the question is raised "what will it take to get people to use them?" it needs a better answer than "it's a neat hack."
Muscle fatigue...
by
timbloid
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· Score: 5, Insightful
...is surely the problem with all these designs?
How many hours a day (out of an 8 hour day) do you think you could hold something (even of tiny mass like a mouse) in the air, away from your body.
And what happens when you want to type/relax/urinate? You put it down, lose your place in 3d space, and have to get it back to the same position to continue?
It's a nice hack, don't get me wrong, but there's a reason why helicopters use a 2 handed control system rather than a mouse. Doing it all with one hand just isn't very accurate, easy, or safe...
We already have 3d mice
by
TyrranzzX
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· Score: 2, Insightful
X-Axis (Left right) and Y-Axis (up down) are determined by the Ball.
Z-Axis (Foward, backward)is determined by the scroll.
Or you can use the keyboard and mouse like in so many FPS games. DUH!
Re:What's the point? Music!
by
argent
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
With a 3d mouse you could build a digital theremin.
Re:Interesting concept
by
gfxguy
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
I think that would be pretty awkward when anybody seriously using paint programs is also using pressure sensitive pens.
But there are certainly some good uses for a 3D mouse or other pointer in some 3D applications. People have mentioned CAD, but there are also things like examining volumetric visualizations of 3D data (like medical imaging). Games could even take advantage, and you wouldn't need 3D glasses or anything fancy - good use of shadows and other visual cues gives a good enough representation.
Keep in mind some of the real interesting parts of a 3D mouse - not just moving in 3 dimensions, but many 3D mice allow you to rotate the mouse... so you move in 3D and press the button to select an item, then you can look at it from any angle by rotating the mouse...
There's a lot of good uses, IMO, although I also freely admit that it'd be games that cause something like this to catch on "mainstream."
-- Stupid sexy Flanders.
Re:He's holding it wrong! (UI ideas)
by
lifebouy
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
How about using cameras to track the glove movement? Use reflective tape of various colors for the software to track, then it knows also where your fingers are and really does know the attitude of your hand. You could really manipulate things. Digitally, as it were. (get it? aw, nevermind)
I'm sure someone would try to scream patent, but the fact is, there is prior art all the way back to the PDP-6 at MIT back in '66 or so for using cameras in similar ways, albeit for robotics. David Silver was his name. So three cameras, positioned around the work area, could give very acurate posisitional data and allow a person to manipulate objects in very cool ways.
Who needs all the wires? Keep 'em
Also, as to why to do it? It's the hack! Look at the Altair. Why'd people assemble them? After completion, it was basically a box with blinkenlights and switches. So why did people do it? They did it because it was fun. It was about the challenge and the sweat and frustration and joy and... well if you don't understand, then it's not for you. Move along, there's nothing to see here.
Slashdot Mirror
Seriously, what's the point of a 3d mouse? We have 2d GUIs.
-matt
As with all technologies: A killer app.
A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
Most likely a functional 3D GUI.
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
...just using the wheel as the third dimension, depth? And not just for zooming in on a window, but for actually navigating in a 3d space. I never much liked the idea of a scroll wheel anyway. It's find for reading documents (yes, I know that all some people use their computers for), but it doesn't really fit in to any other UI paradigm that exists today. I think using it for depth in a 3d space would feel very natural.
>Because it's a neat hack. Sheesh what more reason do you need?
Yes, it's a neat hack. But when the question is raised "what will it take to get people to use them?" it needs a better answer than "it's a neat hack."
...is surely the problem with all these designs?
How many hours a day (out of an 8 hour day) do you think you could hold something (even of tiny mass like a mouse) in the air, away from your body.
And what happens when you want to type/relax/urinate? You put it down, lose your place in 3d space, and have to get it back to the same position to continue?
It's a nice hack, don't get me wrong, but there's a reason why helicopters use a 2 handed control system rather than a mouse. Doing it all with one hand just isn't very accurate, easy, or safe...
X-Axis (Left right) and Y-Axis (up down) are determined by the Ball.
Z-Axis (Foward, backward)is determined by the scroll.
Or you can use the keyboard and mouse like in so many FPS games. DUH!
Candy-Coated Knowledge
With a 3d mouse you could build a digital theremin.
I think that would be pretty awkward when anybody seriously using paint programs is also using pressure sensitive pens.
But there are certainly some good uses for a 3D mouse or other pointer in some 3D applications. People have mentioned CAD, but there are also things like examining volumetric visualizations of 3D data (like medical imaging). Games could even take advantage, and you wouldn't need 3D glasses or anything fancy - good use of shadows and other visual cues gives a good enough representation.
Keep in mind some of the real interesting parts of a 3D mouse - not just moving in 3 dimensions, but many 3D mice allow you to rotate the mouse... so you move in 3D and press the button to select an item, then you can look at it from any angle by rotating the mouse...
There's a lot of good uses, IMO, although I also freely admit that it'd be games that cause something like this to catch on "mainstream."
Stupid sexy Flanders.
Who needs all the wires? Keep 'em
Also, as to why to do it? It's the hack! Look at the Altair. Why'd people assemble them? After completion, it was basically a box with blinkenlights and switches. So why did people do it? They did it because it was fun. It was about the challenge and the sweat and frustration and joy and... well if you don't understand, then it's not for you. Move along, there's nothing to see here.
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