mouseless Computer Mouse

First there was the computer mouse, then the trackball, then the wireless mouse. Now there's the invisible mouse. The idea comes from MIT researcher Pranav Mistry and his team at the Media Lab who have developed a mouseless mouse using an infrared beam and a camera.

The user cups his hand the same way he would on a mouse so that the laser beam reflects onto it. The camera reads the light beam and converts that into cursor movements. For example, a tapping finger changes the light size and sends a message to the camera that initiates a click on screen.

The researchers think movements like zoom are possible as they progress. And since the working prototype was built for about $20, the final product could be much cheaper than standard mice.