a two-ball mouse affords three degrees of freedom
We describe a prototype two-ball mouse containing the electronics and mechanics of two mice in a single chassis. Unlike a conventional mouse, which senses x -axis and y -axis displacement only, our mouse also senses z-axis angular motion. This is accomplished through simple calculations on the two sets of x-y displacement data. Our mouse looks and feels like a standard mouse, however certain primitive operations are performed with much greater ease. The rotate tool -- common in most drawing programs -- becomes redundant as objects are easily moved with three degrees of freedom. Mechanisms to engage the added degree of freedom and different interaction techniques are discussed.
mouse prototype senses motion data standardization operability rotation tool drawing program redundancy object interaction technique pointing devices multi-degree-of-freedom input