Smartfish ErgoMotion Mouse fights off RSI with a bit of wobble
By Paul Miller 
posted November 20th 2009 10:44AM
posted November 20th 2009 10:44AM
posted November 20th 2009 10:44AM
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Looks like a very nice try but I really don't want to wind up needing a carpal tunnel surgery
@Strangelove
Or Carpal Tunnel Slugs. That's the worst thing.
This is pretty badass.
Imagine the bottom of the mouse staying stationary to the table/desk etc.. and the movement of titling (maybe a small sliding instead) the mouse left/right forward/back moved the arrow on the screen. You wouldnt have to move your arm at all. I would buy that.
We already have something like that. Its called a trackball & they are pretty slick.
@%UsernameHTML% This would be great if you could combine the tilt/pan motion control with the mouse movements.
Think about this in a FPS game: you could control your movement with the tilt/pan and control your aimpoint with the mouse. That would rock.
Unfortunately, it appears that "ergo mouse" has no sensors hooked up to the tilting feature. So it is just a useless feature that will hurt your wrist.
seems it would be useful when using a laptop on the go, like on a plane when you don't have much room to physically maneuver the mouse. (for people who don't like track pads. or for more precise applications, such as photo or video editing or gaming).
the guy filming it doesn't sound like he wants to buy it
For some reason I couldn't get the video to work, but while it looks nice - and I am in need of a new mouse - it doesn't look like it would be precise.
Think about it, you are tilting the top of this device to move - how is that different than an old-school joystick?
Maybe it would be good enough for mobile computer for those of us that don't like touchpads. Or better yet, this could be cool if it could be modded to work in a 3D environment (i.e. using a regular mouse for input, but using this mouse to tilt the 3D camera)
Well, if it works out arm muscles one will need two of them making pointer coordination much more challenging though;)
I played with this at the National Ergo Conference in Vegas yesterday and it is terrible. Mouse is too high to rest your wrist, kind of slippery and makes you grip harder -- all bad things when looking for an "ergo" mouse. There really ought to be a law preventing manufacturers from claiming anything is ergonomic without some sort of review and approval process by certified ergonomists. Here are some more ergonomic options for you to Google if you are really having hand/arm issues (not trolling, just trying to help);
Handshoe Mouse by Hippus
Rollermouse by Contour Designs (eliminates the traditional mouse)
To clarify the mouse doesn't just do more, it allows the hand and arm to move more naturally. It uses cooperative muscle movement, much like a pitcher or quarterback uses oblique angles when throwing a ball. Our mouse tailor's itself to your hand's position as it moves. And you think a palm down position or mouse tilted in one direction is better than this? How can a rigid mouse design tailor itself to the human form? If the hand is moving in one direction it may work but inevitably you will be at a disadvantage going to the other! With our mouse you can always be in the push position(a leverage advantage), optimal and preferred for moving objects of any kind.
I have a powermate by griffin tech. and although it is a quality bit of kit the problem I have with it is when constantly scrolling through lots of photos my wrist takes a bit of a battering. So all in all I can see the idea of having a bit of movement/tilt in the mouse, the fatigue will eventually set in. But having said that still liking the mouse.
I am the inventor of the Ergomotion Mouse and CEO of Smartfish Technologies.
I would like to clear up a misconception in the article.
The fact that multiple muscles are being recruited decreases the fatigue that ordinary mouse use cause unless of course you are using a 20 pound mouse. Using more muscles to move an object will always makes the task easier this is a medical fact.
I
With all do respect, the goal of Ergonomics is to tailor the task to the body, not vice versa. Saying that your mouse makes your body do more (require more muscles), therefore is ergonomic is exactly backwards. Mouses and other ergo accessories should be tailored as much to the body's natural shape and movement as possible. If you want to state "medical fact" then it would be more compelling if you included a link to an independent study that confirmed your claim as it applies to your product. I could not find an such support for your claim on your website either. However, your keyboard looks like a great product that remedies the problems found on common keyboards. I would have no problem recommending that to clients. I hope your next mouse product makes for a better compliment to it.
To clarify the mouse doesn't just do more, it allows the hand and arm to move more naturally. It uses cooperative muscle movement, much like a pitcher or quarterback uses oblique angles when throwing a ball. Our mouse tailor's itself to your hand's position as it moves. And you think a palm down position or mouse tilted in one direction is better than this? How can a rigid mouse design tailor itself to the human form? If the hand is moving in one direction it may work but inevitably you will be at a disadvantage going to the other! With our mouse you can always be in the push position(a leverage advantage), optimal and preferred for moving objects of any kind.
look like it tilt too much, feel like using a joystick ...