Arthritis, Carpal Tunnel and other pain causing diseases are some of the most worried about issues facing workers today. Carpal Tunnel has a prevalence rate in the United States of fifty to around a hundred per one thousand tested. While research is still ongoing as to more causes of these diseases, some factors are becoming more common than others.
Workers most commonly affected may work in assembly lines, office settings or other jobs in which frequent repetition of the hands and wrists are required. Of these a common complaint is the use of the mouse and keyboard.
This new computer peripheral was designed to help relieve stresses in the wrist to help prevent the possible pain that is associated with these diseases. With a normal mouse the user is required to grip and drag it from location to location. This will put stress on the wrist if not constantly held in a proper position.
To relieve this stress the hand rests on top of the new mouse. In this position the hand can always be at a resting state with little bend in the wrist. The functions of the mouse have been designed around this specification.
The optical sensor, located at the bottom, reads as the user moves across the pad as a normal mouse does. The black thumb stop adjusts around your thumb for support and to prevent slippage out of the device.
Sensors in the finger-strap measure when the finger slightly curls inwards activating the function assigned to that particular sensor. Standard functions have the index finger activating a left-click, middle finger activating a right-click, ring and pinky fingers activating scroll up and scroll down respectively.
Some additional features that have been added include a rechargeable battery compartment. An included cord would allow for charging during the night or off work hours. If someone forgets to recharge the batteries, the pack can be replaced by two AAA batteries very quickly.
Since the users hand is more or less inside the mouse it would be bothersome to remove it each time they need to use the keyboard. If they keep it on while they move their hand to the keyboard the location on the screen may move. This is why accelerometers have been added to the circuitry to measure when the mouse is moving towards a horizontal position. During this tilting motion no movement data is recorded or displayed on the screen, allowing the user to move their hand freely while typing.
The mouse can be made of traditional plastics regularly used to make the same products in the industry. The thumb rest must be made of a harder flexible material that keeps its shape once bent. A silicone mixture will be used for the finger sensor pad. This insures quality and flexibility for the life of the product while also allowing for the embedded sensors.
The ease of manufacturing combined with the great health benefits makes this mouse a great contribution to the workforce.