Computer: Mouse: Motion
Recursive Mouse   (+15)  [vote for, against]
Use a mouse (to manipulate a mouse)^n

I had on odd mental experience (dream?) of using a regular optical computer mouse to manipulate an image of a mouse on my screen, which was in turn used to manipulate the mouse of a smaller image, etc. etc.

There being no particular purpose for this image, I sought to create one, and decided it might be an interesting challenge of manual dexterity to have the n^th mouse accomplish some useful activity.
-- csea, Nov 20 2009

[CNLohr] doing approximately this in hardware using an ESP8285 https://www.youtube...watch?v=FPBzOaLbWhM
What this idea reminded me of [notexactly, Oct 11 2016]

[m-f-d] genetic engineering: mouse plant.
-- shudderprose, Nov 20 2009


Presumably, after not too many iterations, there would be a one-pixel cursor being manipulated around a 4-pixel screen.

Perhaps there could be a slight time-lag in the response of each one?
-- pocmloc, Nov 20 2009


//Perhaps there could be a slight time-lag in the response of each one?//

That's just cruel.
-- shudderprose, Nov 20 2009


You could use the 'n'th mouse to manipulate an object-orientated drag-and-drop GUI builder tool to create a program that simulates a screen-based pointer that actually looks like a mouse which can be used to manipulate a GUI builder tool with which you could build an application which simulates a mouse being controlled by the simulated mouse on the level above and then use that simulation to build a lower-level simulation......
-- 8th of 7, Nov 20 2009


...D|||||||...D
-- rcarty, Nov 20 2009


You could introduce randomized shake or attenuation on some of the levels to add to the challenge (I really want to have a go at this!) [+]

(BTW, this is being typed using Remote Desktop via VNC all via 4 IP proxies)
-- Dub, Nov 21 2009


I've seen remote desktop software for android where you drag around a virtual mouse on the touch screen. I reckon if you linked up a real mouse to the android device this would get you one level of mouse recursion
-- caspian, Oct 12 2016



random, halfbakery