Fluffy Soap mouse works without a desk

Can you imagine controlling your computer with a peripheral that resembles a fluffy bar of soap? Well hear us out, because the Soap pointing device from Microsoft Research offers to combine the accuracy of a traditional optical mouse with the freedom of a wireless, even desk-free peripheral. The device, which consists of a soft, fluffy hull coating a wireless optical mouse core, reads the fabric's movement when the user applies outside pressure, and reports it as a position (think: rolling a bar of soap around in your hand). Through a demonstration in combination with a mobile keyboard in Unreal Tournament (albeit with dumb bots), the creators have shown that Soap offers a degree of accuracy that comes close to a table-bound mouse; when the user squeezes, the Soap can even outclass desktop mouse performance in large wall display setups. If users can cope with the idea of blasting away fiends in UT with a ball of fluff and Soap gets a commercial release, if nothing else you can be sure that an entire cottage industry will spring up around supplying fake eyes and tails to turn the Soap into a line-up of cute, pointable rodentia.

[Via hackaday]

[noobs @ Aug 25th 2006 11:13AM]

thats awesome. I want one now.

[idiot @ Aug 25th 2006 11:22AM]

Can you imagine how dirty it would get? *shudders*


I guess that would open up a market for replaceable "skins" that users can spend their much needed money on.

[Leif @ Aug 25th 2006 11:27AM]

How is this any different than just putting a regular optical mouse in a big sock?

[strider_mt2k @ Aug 25th 2006 11:30AM]

These things just better lay off my Quatrotriticale.

And my sandwich and coffee!

[Isaac @ Aug 25th 2006 11:32AM]

Leif, that's the whole point. Watch the video. Again. They tell you how to make one.

[Eagle117 @ Aug 25th 2006 11:33AM]

Did anyone watch the entire video? It shows you how you can make your own right now.

[m-p{3} @ Aug 25th 2006 11:56AM]

So simple, but ingenious!

I hope to see something similar in store. The only drawback is the mouse seems to have only 1 button, and no functionnal mouse-wheel (the mouse wheel act as the only clickable button).

But that's a very good beginning. Finally a mouse which do not require a desk. I loved the way it can be used in Windows Media Center, very precise and efficient.

[Jim @ Aug 25th 2006 12:08PM]

Looks like Tribble Trouble!

[Rob @ Aug 25th 2006 12:32PM]

Didn't you just run a report about how MS was working on a new FPS controller for 360?

[XenoPhage @ Aug 25th 2006 10:07PM]

So they envision using this to control media players? Even while it's in your pocket? Just what I wanted.. to hang out with friends and get accused of playing a constant game of pocket pool...

It is an intruiging design though.. I may have to look into making one just to see how it works...

[Peter @ Aug 25th 2006 12:38PM]

"Can you imagine how dirty it would get? *shudders*"

It's soap, it's self-cleaning. :)

[redpill @ Aug 25th 2006 1:16PM]

now if only you can stick a wii remote in the soap it would be awsomemo!!!!!!


(KINDDING)

[king @ Aug 25th 2006 5:02PM]

it is a fake. watch it again. the guy switched device with some fur ball. look closely.

and did the video show the receiving device and the code that handles the motion? nope.

so fake.

[Mike @ Aug 25th 2006 1:50PM]

What happens if you drop the Soap?

[Peter M. @ Aug 25th 2006 2:00PM]

But is the soap SOAP-enabled?

[ramond @ Aug 25th 2006 4:14PM]

Wow Vista is delayed because they have been busy putting mice in socks :-p

[Zach Marshall @ Aug 25th 2006 9:43PM]

THIS.is just friggen amazing. im actually leaving in about two minutes just to go pick up the supplies needed to build this. no really. ill report back later about how it went!

[slyecho @ Aug 25th 2006 5:51PM]

>>receiving device and the code that handles the motion?

Did you actually watch the whole video? It's just an ordinary notebook wireless mouse that's been hacked in a certain way.

[Jeff Foster @ Aug 25th 2006 7:01PM]

It's not fake, they just didn't want to waste time showing you how to put the device in the sock.

anyone who wasn't closing their eyes saw the switch you find suspect. didn't look very tricky to me.

haven't you ever watched a cooking show? those are all totally fake. you dont even get to watch the water slowly coming to a boil!

[Alex @ Aug 25th 2006 8:01PM]

This thing would aggrevate me so much. When you "click", the cursor moves just by nature of the design, I couldn't stand that.

[mrs. o @ Aug 26th 2006 1:18PM]

i think its a little like the rocket mouse. i love the rocket mouse but they are hard to find

[Dean @ Aug 27th 2006 3:45AM]

>haven't you ever watched a cooking show? those are all totally fake. you dont even get to watch the water slowly coming to a boil!<

Dear god are they....I never knew, so thats why my food always looks the same