Design and Evaluation of A Computer-Actuated Mouse

Design and Evaluation of a Computer-Actuated Mouse
Francisco Kiss1 , Valentin Schwind1 , Stefan Schneegass2 , Niels Henze1

1 University of Stuttgart, Germany — {firstname.lastname}@vis.uni-stuttgart.de
2 University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany — [email protected]
Figure 1. We present a computer-actuated mouse that allows to change its position and button states.
ABSTRACT stationary computers. Many technological innovations have

Although interaction with computing systems has become contributed to this device’s evolution, but English’s and En-
remarkably diverse in recent years, the computer mouse re- gelbart’s remained essentially the same since 1965: a tangible
mained the primary pointing device for daily computer use. device that translates physical displacement into the movement
Being solely an input device, the classical mouse decouples in- of a pointer on the screen [11]. The addition of extra buttons
put from output. In this paper, we propose to extend the mouse and the scroll wheel, or the substitution of the ball by an opti-
to a device that can be actuated by the user and the computer. cal sensor, indeed improved the usability of mice an an input
We developed a mouse that allows its position and button state device, although their use as output remained unexploited.
to be actuated. In a technical evaluation, we test the spatial
In contrast to direct input devices, such as the touchscreen,
resolution of our system and how effectively feedback is com-
the mouse acts as an indirect pointing device. This provides
municated to the user. In a subjective assessment, we explore
advantages, such as allowing for finer granularity and more
users’ reactions to four use cases including games and office
precise selection of targets, or dragging screen elements over
applications, highlighting the potential of the device. Through
the screen with ease.
a quantitative assessment, we investigate whether perceiving
the movement of the mouse helps to learn gestures. Finally, The use of the mouse is easily learned by most users. However,
we discuss how a mouse providing feedback can be used to steering through 3D environments or high-speed games that
build novel interaction techniques. require fine-grained selections are highly challenging tasks
that can be difficult to master. Complex workflows using
ACM Classification Keywords software applications with a large variety of functions and
H.5.2 Information Interfaces and Presentation (e.g. HCI): options presented through a graphical user interface are hard
User Interfaces - Graphical user interfaces, Input devices and to recognize, and users might profit from memorizing the set
strategies, Haptic I/O of movements to recall a particular action. In these scenarios,
seeing how another user physically moves a mouse does not
Author Keywords help much to understand how the user controls the interface.
mouse; pointing device; force feedback; actuated device. We believe that the evolution of the mouse has not yet come
to an end. Enhancing a mouse with physical actuation to
INTRODUCTION provide additional feedback will enhance further its usability,
Despite today’s proliferation of touch-sensitive surfaces, the enabling a bidirectional interaction between the user and the
computer mouse is still the most popular pointing device for mouse. This novel kind of dialogue can open a channel for
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or new ways of human-computer interaction. The possibility of
classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed the computer moving the mouse for the user enables several
for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation
on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the use case scenarios, such as tutorials to train users in specific
author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or software applications, remote assistance or rehabilitation of
republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission
and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected].
upper extremities.
MUM 2017, November 26–29, 2017, Stuttgart, Germany In this paper, we present the concept, design and implemen-
© 2017 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). Publication rights licensed to ACM. tation of a computer-actuated mouse. We discuss use cases
ACM ISBN 978-1-4503-5378-6/17/11. . . $15.00
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3152832.3152862

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Design and Evaluation of a Computer-Actuated Mouse

Francisco Kiss1 , Valentin Schwind1 , Stefan Schneegass2 , Niels Henze1

ABSTRACT stationary computers. Many technological innovations have

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