A traditional computer mouse typically fits in the palm of your hand. However, with modern technology, there’s no need for mice to be so large, as demonstrated by [juskim]’s neat little mouse ring. Check it out in the video below.
The concept is simple—it’s a tiny mouse that sits neatly on the end of one of your fingers. You then get the slightly surreal experience of pointing on your computer just by moving a single finger instead of your whole hand.
The project uses a typical optical mouse sensor for movement, as you might expect. However, there are no conventional switches for the left and right mouse buttons. Instead, [juskim] realized a more compact design was possible by using proximity sensors instead. The sensors detect the presence of his fingers on either side of the ring mouse. When one of the fingers is lifted, the absence of the finger triggers a mouse click, either left or right, depending on the finger.
The build started with junk box parts, but hooking up an Arduino Pro Micro dev board and other modules proved too cumbersome to use effectively. Instead, the build relies on an ATTO board, a tiny PCB featuring the same ATmega32U4 microcontroller. Similarly, the build relies on tiny proximity sensors from STM to fit in the “ring” form factor. It’s all wrapped up in a 3D-printed enclosure that fits snugly on the user’s finger.
We’ve seen some other neat mouse rings before, too. Or, if you want something really different, grab some keychains and make a 6DOF mouse.
Is it weird that I’d miss my scroll wheel and center clicking?
This is cool, I like when people play with a ‘settled’ tech.
Depending on how the design and shape of this evolve, maybe the scroll wheel behavior could be implemented by the angle of contact? Like, the difference between sliding the pad of your finger for the cursor vs. your fingernail for scroll?
I agree, it’s fun to explore different ways of interfacing with a computer.
For me, that experience isn’t surreal at all. I enjoy it almost every day, because I use a Lenovo laptop with a TrackPoint.
I’ve done mechanical drawings, schematics, and PCBs using TrackPoints. I would love to make my next laptop a Framework model, but they only come with touchpads, which for me are pretty much useless. I’m happy to use a mouse, but do a lot of my work sitting on the couch where a mouse is impractical at best.
That said, not having buttons that click would probably make me very uncomfortable…
Hear hear. I recently had a voucher to buy a computer and didn’t even consider a Framework because they didn’t have track point.
It is indispensable for spreadsheet work and I like being able to scroll sideways.
I appreciate the compactness and efficiency of the design, but I still need a tactile button response.
How do one type on a keyboard with it sitting on the finger? Or you have to take it off each time?
Thanks to this video I discovered new thing for youtube & chrome in the comments.
Sponsorblock.
And it works well on this video.
Oh and the mouse thing was cool too.
The inventor mentions he is “working on the angle” and claims it is a “ring”.
I would probably investigate making it a “mouse skate” instead, and have it click if possible. Just a little thing you put your finger on top of and slide around.
I was sad to learn he used a “maker” mouse kit. I have a cheesy mouse here that is basically free ($2, and I robbed the scroll wheel to customize my gaming mouse).