Slashdot Mirror
Is Horse the New Mouse?
lopati writes "Europhysics News writes about a new ergonomical mouse called Horse (jpeg) that reduces repetitive stress injuries by allowing 'the three middle fingers to adopt a flexed position to relax the tendons' and including a thumb scrool [sic:] wheel. Just a few simple changes for so much more comfort!"
This is something I've known for a long time, when I put my three middle fingers into my horse it relaxes me a lot too, let alone the horse. Including a thumb every once in a while is a simple change that gives so much more comfort.
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Mirror here.
I'd complain about the slashdot effect here, too, but that would be a bit like beating a dead horse.
If you think I'm clicking a link to "Horse.jpg"...
I am trolling
...would it be beating a dead horse? I'm here all week, ladies and gentlemen. Don't forget to tip the wait staff.
Kids these days. They don't know the difference between classic, and just plain old.
Of course, of course.. unless, of course it's a mouse; in which case it's actually neither.
There's a Starman, waiting in the sky / He'd like to come and meet us, but he hasn't got the time.
This is an option for some people but not others. In the late 1980s I used a device with a thumbwheel much the same and man a scroll thumbwheel after 5 minutes is hell on tendons more so than any other mouse I used.
But I can use a normal mouse all day long and not have a problem and have been doing so for years now.
So your mileage may vary.
http://www.europhysicsnews.com.nyud.net:8090/full/ 30/article10/article10.html
http://www.europhysicsnews.com.nyud.net:8090/full/ 30/article10/article10_2_0002.jpg
I assume they must have put at least a certain amount of research into the ergonomics of it, but I can't see how that would be comfortable to use -- particularly for someone who has bone or joint ailments like arthritis. Having your hand contorted over something that size seems like it'd probably be a little painful at best.
This will never catch on, especially on public computers. What about lefties? This thing doesn't look like it can be used properly with either hand at all.
Holy lack of paragraphs, Batman!
Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me
I can (and do) grip my logitech MX1000 in a way that looks like what they're trying to accomplish... Fingers bent a bit, hand relaxed over the top arch. Its buttons extend quite far along the body of the mouse, it's very comfortable.
vk.
Maybe we need a Horse, a mouse and a trackball each, then rotate them once a week...
Face it, do something enough times, and it can cause problems.
that already happened !
The world is full of right handed biased designers! Evil! Where's my left handed version? Don't you people know that your biased right hand designs make only a few of us left? (pun intended).
When you use a mouse, do you have your forearm at an angle to the mouse with your index finger on the left button (assuming right-handedness), your middle finger on the right button, and your ring finger on the "forward" button on 5-button mice? I've found that having my forearm parallel to the mouse with my middle finger on the scroll, my ring finger on the right mouse button, and my pinky on the forward button reduces the stress on my wrist since my wrist is no longer twisted at an odd angle. I was wondering if anyone else did this too.
--
Free iPod? Try a free Mac Mini
Or a free Nintendo DS
Wired article as proof
For me it just looks like a trackman that you move around. If you want to talk about really new things compared to the mouse, take a look at the Ergonomic Vertical Mouse That one is realy inovative compared to the old mouse. Or any of the other mice on that site. Want something REALLY new? Thy this one
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
Why not a special version for Slashdot moderators which allows just the one middle finger to be used for moderation?
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
hice
I don't think the split keyboards were meant to "revolutionize" the human interface with computers. They were introduced as a means to reduce stress on wrists.
I love my split keyboard, and the majority of my MS-oriented professional developer friends all use the split keyboard as well. I was having some my wrist fatigue a couple years ago, but it has disappeared since switching to the more ergonomic keyboard. I'm sure they're not good for everyone, but I am extremely grateful that somebody produces them.
Regarding your main point, slightly improved keyboards and mouses are never going to revolutionize anything. For a revolution, an entirely new input device will be needed.