Pretend like you are using a real mouse, and a camera interprets your hand movements and finger gestures. An index finger tap would be a left click, middle finger tap a middle click, ring finger tap a right click, middle finger drag a scroll. There are several vantage points where the camera may be situated. It could be a stationary position near the surface, a birds eye view from the top of a monitor, or a close-up view from the bottom of the user's palm. The best camera position should be determined by experiments.

The benefit of this device is that it's more portable than a traditional mouse.
-- rhatta, Oct 09 2004

Vision Based Gesture Recognition (PDF) http://www.cs.ucsb....gesture_current.pdf
"Hand gestures provide a unique and powerful method of controlling computer software" [half, Oct 09 2004]

Gesture Recognition Systems report http://www.google.s...22no+mouse%22&hl=sv
mentions Tom Cruise in "Minority Report" [FarmerJohn, Oct 09 2004]

Virtual keyboard http://www.ananova....enu=news.technology
may go well with this [rhatta, Oct 10 2004]

Sounds expensive, but good. Welcome to the HB. Though they do have these that track your eye movements and use blinks as clicks.
-- DesertFox, Oct 09 2004


I think rhatta may have been around longer than you DF. strange times!
-- po, Oct 09 2004


well my account got lost with the crash so I look new :)
-- rhatta, Oct 10 2004


d'oh! the link i just added points to a baked example.
-- rhatta, Oct 10 2004


"using a real mouse" - one that wriggles and runs about eating crumbs...?

But whatever technology you use, I want a something that is tied to what I am clicking on - no more abstract wave your hands about over here to do something over there.
-- DrCurry, Oct 10 2004


Products like these have been in use for years. We use one system for CAD design, where 2 cameras capture 3D information (e.g., position of your hand). Some cheap similar products exist - like a projection keyboard - where the entire keyboard is projected onto any surface, and sensors detect your fingers doing key taps.
-- mostwired, Oct 10 2004


It sounds like you could use a "bluescreen" app with a webcam or 2 pointed at your monitor, or a piece of posterboard with target locations on it. Should give a very "natural" feeling interface.
-- rallen71366, Dec 18 2005



random, halfbakery