Researchers develop 3-D squeezable input device

A team of researchers has developed a squeezable mouse-like input device that gives three-dimensional control to its users.

The device is called Suma, short for satsuma or the mandarin fruit, said Duncan Smith, head of consumer product development for Cambridge Consultants, which licenses its innovations to manufacturers.

Inside Suma's pliant foam are light actuators surrounding a sensor core. As Suma is squeezed, those actuators detect pressure and movement changes. Those signals are processed with software inside Suma and then sent to the software program that can accommodate the device.

The difference between Suma and a controller for Nintendo's Wii, for example, is that the motion-based controllers allow users to move objects but not manipulate the shape, which has the potential for a new range of applications, Smith said.

 The Suma is "very much a whole picture of the inside of your hand," Smith said.

It's possible, for example, to manipulate the viewpoint of both the user and the object the user is looking at simultaneously, which is not possible with controllers now, Smith said.

Source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141624/Researchers_develop_3_D_squeezable_input_device