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People unable to use hands to interact with computers do require special devices to gain access to information technology services. The rise of do-it-yourself (DIY) electronics makes it possible to release construction kits of a wide range of gadgets, including hands-free computer mice. In this paper we present one such building kit for a full-featured computer mouse that is controlled by head movements. The result kit includes an easy-to-find bill of materials, instructions to build the device and to use it. The first experiments showed that the mouse was working fine with people that have good control on head movements but that its embedded program must be customized for other individuals.

Computer mouse usage features could be used to distinguish web page visitors. Particular data instances representing user's navigation actions are insufficient when used separately to perform classification with basic k-nearest neighbors (kNN) classifier. We propose a modification of kNN method in which instances of the same class form groups. Finding the nearest neighbors is based on measuring distance between histograms representing distributions of values for the corresponding groups. The paper provides a series of experiments on dataset from 100 web visitors. It describes comparison of several distance metrics as well as different levels of grouping. Combination of non-parametric tests statistics for measuring distance and suitable size of groups improves classification success rate significantly.

This paper presents a method for detecting patterns in the usage of a computer mouse that can give insights into user's cognitive processes. We conducted a study using a computer version of the Memory game (also known as the Concentration game) that allowed some participants to reveal the content of the tiles, expecting their low-level mouse interaction patterns to deviate from those of normal players with no access to this information. We then trained models to detect these differences using task-independent input device features. The models detected cheating with 98.73% accuracy for players who cheated or did not cheat consistently for entire rounds of the game, and with 89.18% accuracy for cases in which players enabled and then disabled cheating within rounds.

This paper presents a method for analyzing users' computer mouse interaction data with the aim to implicitly identify task completion difficulty while interacting with a system. Computer mouse motion streams and users' skin conductance signals, acquired via an in-house developed computer mouse, and users' feedback were investigated as reactions to task difficulty raising events. A classification algorithm was developed, producing real-time user models of user hesitation states. Preliminary results of a study in progress with seven older adults at work (age 56+) provide initial indications about links between mouse triggering states of user hesitation and task completion difficulty. Copyright is held by the author/owner(s). 18 1019 1024 Sponsors: ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI) Conference code: 116996 Cited By :4

In order to aid elderly and/or disabled people in cleaning and drying their posterior after defecation, a teleoperated bottom wiper is proposed. The wiper enables a person sitting on the toilet seat to wipe his/her bottom by specifying the wiping position and strength with a computer mouse and keyboard. The proposed teleoperation is novel in that the operator and target are the same. The operator feels force feedback through the buttocks instead of the hands. The result of a user study confirmed that users could successfully wipe the buttocks with appropriate position and strength by teleoperation. Since it is controller by the user, the teleoperated wiper is suitable for accommodating each participant's preference of the moment.

User behavioural characteristics such as mouse dynamics are present in the web browsing process. Identification of an unauthorized user based on user model containing mouse dynamics patterns might be useful for personalized system. This paper proposes a user modelling process specialized for user identification in browsing the web. We conducted our study in a running e-shop. The experiment is designed to track mouse dynamics characteristics and user's personality profile. We present the results of distinctiveness of individual characteristics among visitors and performance of the identification method.

Scanning parts of paper-based information can be time-consuming and disrupt the user's workflow. Accordingly, we investigate the performance and usability of a computer mouse with document scanning capabilities, referred to as scan mouse. We set up a user study with 20 users scanning parts of paper documents using the scan mouse, a personal desktop scanner, shared network scanner, and the camera of an iPhone. Results show that the scan mouse is both faster and perceived as easier to use than the other devices due to the seamless integration of scanning capabilities into the established routine of handling a computer mouse.

This paper investigates the use of digital fabrication for the individual production and customization of electronic devices. We present two products -- a pair of speakers with laser-cut parts and a computer mouse with a 3D-printed enclosure -- and describe their making and modification by workshop participants. The speakers target a general audience, engaging a diversity of skills and backgrounds. The mouse aims at designers, exploring the application of 3D modeling skills to the production of electronic devices. We use the case studies to discuss general implications of digital fabrication for technology production and education: enabling collaboration and iteration through open-source hardware, enhancing the products of educational technologies and experiences, and increasing the diversity of and personal connections to electronic products. The case studies also suggest opportunities for further research into tools, materials, and people.

Camera-based mouse-replacement systems allow people with motor impairments to control the mouse pointer with head movements if they are unable to use their hands. To address the difficulties of accidental clicking and usable simulation of a real computer mouse, we developed Click Control, a tool to augment the functionality of these systems. When a user attempts to click, Click Control displays a form that allows him or her to cancel the click if it was accidental, or send different types of clicks with an easy-to-use gesture interface. Initial studies of a prototype with users with motor impairments showed that Click Control improved their mouse control experiences.

Mouseless is a novel input device that provides the familiarity of interaction of a physical computer mouse without requiring a real hardware mouse. It consists of an IR laser beam and an IR camera, both of which are embedded in a computer. Mouseless proposes a number of novel additional gestural interactions while supporting all the conventional computer mouse interactions. In this short paper, we present the design and implementation of various Mouseless prototype systems.

This paper describes how a standard optical mouse was augmented by the addition of a touch sensor inside the body of the mouse. When the mouse is released and subsequently touched it generates a Windows message which can then be used to execute an action. Three techniques were developed using the augmented mouse (nicknamed 'FieldMouse') to help older adult computer users find the mouse cursor when it has become 'lost': placing the mouse cursor at the center of the screen; wiggling the mouse cursor from side to side; displaying a flashing red ring around the mouse cursor. The techniques were compared in a pilot study to see which one was the most effective, and this would then be used in a later study to compare techniques of finding the mouse cursor. Following the pilot, the technique of centering the mouse cursor was chosen for the later study since it was the quickest to find the mouse cursor, without needing to search the entire screen.

This workshop will explore the use of low-cost materials and tools to build textile-based interfaces that replace the current hard-shell computer mice or laptop touchpads that you use to navigate your screen. We will introduce a range of methods for handcrafting textile input devices. Participants will learn techniques developed by the workshop leaders and will also be encouraged to use our materials library to design their own custom mice. The goal of the workshop is to familiarize participants with available electronic textile materials, to introduce them to a variety of sensor and circuitry construction techniques and get people thinking about different interfaces that allow you interact differently with everyday technology.

A Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) system that is designed for individuals with severe disabilities to simulate control of a traditional computer mouse is introduced. The camera-based system monitors a user's eyes and allows the user to simulate clicking the mouse using voluntary blinks and winks. For users who can control head movements and can wink with one eye while keeping their other eye visibly open, the system allows complete use of a typical mouse, including moving the pointer, left and right clicking, double clicking, and click-and-dragging. For users who cannot wink but can blink voluntarily the system allows the user to perform left clicks, the most common and useful mouse action. The system does not require any training data to distinguish open eyes versus closed eyes. Eye classification is accomplished online during real-time interactions. The system had an accuracy of 8027/8306 = 96.6% in classifying sub-images with open or closed eyes and successfully allows the users to simulate a traditional computer mouse.

In this paper, we implement a computer mouse for demonstrating the idea of form-function synchronization by embedding deformation sensing modules consisting of deformable foam and Hall-effect sensors. Due to its automatic sensing, recognizing and actuating mechanisms actively responding to users' diverse gestures, we have chosen to name it Adaptive Mouse. Working with Adaptive Mouse, all users have to do is to hold it with preferred hand gestures, then through the use of their fore and middle fingers the correct button functions will intuitively be triggered. Users can also freely move the mouse and always get accurate cursor feedbacks. This "intuitive holds then clicks" action creates sense of "magic", and the mouse shape with minimum visual clues not only lowers mental loads but also achieves the goal of simplicity design.

Interaction with computers (e.g. those with Internet browsers and graphic user interfaces, etc.) nowadays almost requires some form of cursor control, like a mouse provides. However, the traditional mouse is not always the best alternative for all users. To provide a better option for users with spinal cord injuries or severe disabilities an inexpensive wireless head tilt mouse has been constructed to provide easy access to the regular functions of a computer mouse.

A demo of a biosignal interface, which allows to operate a Windows® PC without using the hands, shall be given. The system -- called HaMCoS (for Hands-free Mouse Control System) -- enables its user to simulate clicks and movements of the computer mouse by issuing intentional contractions of a single muscle of choice only. Therefore, by employing HaMCoS, even a person with very severe physical disabilities can operate a PC, provided everything exclusively relies on mouse input. The framework built around the system's Main Module is optimized in this respect, since it offers a comfortable keyboard-free user interface (e.g. comprising large, easily clickable buttons).

Controlling computers by eyes can provide a fast and efficient alternative to the computer mouse. However, in gaze controlled systems object selection is still suboptimal: Dwell times on a certain object typically used to elicit the selection of this object can cause unintended selections; a problem known as Midas Touch. For our suggested alternative approach using anti-saccades for selection, highlighted objects are copied to one side of the object. The object is selected when fixating to the side opposed to that copy requiring to inhibit an automatic response towards new objects. A user study revealed shorter task completion times, but more errors when selecting objects by anti-saccades relative to selection by individually and task-specifically adapted dwell times. With certain improvements, anti-saccades can become a serious alternative to dwell times.

FPGAs provide a speed advantage in processing for embedded systems, especially when processing is moved close to the sensors. Perhaps the ultimate embedded system is a neural prosthetic, where probes are inserted into the brain and recorded electrical activity is analyzed to determine which neurons have fired. In turn, this information can be used to manipulate an external device such as a robot arm or a computer mouse. To make the detection of these signals possible, some baseline data must be processed to correlate impulses to particular neurons. One method for processing this data uses a statistical clustering algorithm called Expectation Maximization, or EM. In this paper, we examine the EM clustering algorithm, determine the most computationally intensive portion, map it onto a reconfigurable device, and show several areas of performance gain.

This paper reports on a study which compared two tools for tracking the focus of visual attention - a remote eye tracker and the Restricted Focus Viewer (RFV). The RFV tool blurs the stimuli in order to simulate human vision; the user controls the portion of the screen which is in focus with a computer mouse. Both tools were used by eighteen participants debugging three Java programs for ten minutes each. The results in terms of debugging accuracy and debugging behavior were compared using the restricting view condition of the RFV and a measuring tool as factors.The results show that while the debugging performance and the distribution of the time spent on areas of interest (AOI) are not influenced by the restricting view condition, the dynamics of programming behavior is different. The number of switches between the AOIs as measured by the RFV significantly differed from those measured by the eye tracker. Also the number of switches under the restricted and unrestricted RFV condition was significantly different. We maintain that the RFV must be used with caution to measure the switches of visual attention.