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Technology

Surfing the Web Haptically 154

Posted by CmdrTaco from the useful-interaction-or-maybe-just-buzz dept.
Chakat sent us a story about Haptic feedback, a buzzword ready technology where the mouse provides tactile feedback in addition to letting you click on your porn. Seriously I would love a bit of feedback when my mouse moves over a button or a link: Sorta like how modern window managers can snap borders to edges of other windows or the screen when moving or resizing... I think that a similar tactile thing for buttons would ease mouse navigation. Or else I can just continue binding ridiculous things like Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Meta-F8 to every little action.
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Surfing the Web Haptically More

Surfing the Web Haptically

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  • Yikes. I feel all dirty and used up.


    Can I get haptic feedback on those pictures of blue naked people at Burning Man? [ridiculopathy.com] I'm not sure that's a good idea after all.

  • X-10 (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anne_Nonymous ( 313852 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @11:58AM (#2274088) Homepage Journal
    Those X-10 bastards would have a field day with this.
    • Just think... there'd still be an opt out option, but damn if you don't have to overcome a one hell of a repulsion to click it.
  • ... is to make sure all my windows are placed in exact positions on the screen. I even make sure that windows that auto-dock to corners of the screen are positioned in such a way that they're close enough but not really docking at all. (e.g. making sure XMMS/Winamp is exactly 10 pixels from the screen borders) Call me obsessive-compulsive. ;-)

    Having 'tactile responsiveness' to this sort of thing I do would be a God-send for me, but I don't know how else it can be useful. Perhaps a way to determine how deep I am into a surfing session just by listening to the sound of a click-thru?
    • Having 'tactile responsiveness' to this sort of thing I do would be a God-send for me, but I don't know how else it can be useful

      3-d Games, for one, for another, you could put this in a drawing program so that when going over the drawing area, the mouse can't move as fast, thus giving you greater control. Then, there are the very evil things you could do, like putting this on certain beloved websites that shall remain nameless...

    • ... is to make sure all my windows are placed in exact positions on the screen. I even make sure that windows that auto-dock to corners of the screen are positioned in such a way that they're close enough but not really docking at all. (e.g. making sure XMMS/Winamp is exactly 10 pixels from the screen borders) Call me obsessive-compulsive. ;-)

      One word: Prozac.

      Explanation: Do you know what a car looks like when it's stored in thousands of little ziplock baggies? Every nut, bolt, screw, and washer labelled as to where it came from?

      I bought so many Ziplock baggies from my local warehouse-style super-saver grocery store that they had the cops meet me outside. They thought I was a big-time drug trafficker. When I invited them to my house to show they my car, they couldn't stop laughing and shaking their heads.

      That was when I got help.

      OTOH, it's very easy to find a water pump pulley bolt as I reassemble the engine.

  • Haptic Porn (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Dolly_Llama ( 267016 )
    I work for a company (albeit in a very junior position) which is big into Haptic IP, liscencing technology and such. We do all kinds of neat stuff with haptics, but porn has always been the big inside joke, yuk-yuk, can't wait til we get our liscencing agreement with RealDoll...yuk-yuk.

    In all seriousness, what's the big deal? Porn's is big business, and it's good money. Just because we could make money off of it doesn't mean we become nasty porn mongers. I mean, look how much money people like Marriot, run by the friggin mormons, makes off of pay per view porn. Doesn't make them a porn company.

    I really think we need to develop this market. Maybe then my options could be worth something...

    • look how much money people like Marriot, run by the friggin mormons make of pay per view porn



      No, Marriot is ran by _A_ Mormon, not the whole Mormon Church. Big difference.



      If Mr. Marriot wants to show porn, that's his own choice.

      • Re:Haptic Porn (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Dolly_Llama ( 267016 )
        No, Marriot is ran by _A_ Mormon, not the whole Mormon Church. Big difference.

        Ok, the corporation is not run by the church. It is however run by influential church members (plural, it's not just Mr. Marriot), who are generally fundamentalist and extremely conservative. This is of course, mitigated by the fact that Marriot is a publicly traded corporation accountable to shareholders. This mitigating factor probably has alot to do with why you can rent pay-per-view porn in their hotel rooms.

        My whole point was that it is possible to divorce oneself of hangups about porn when there is $$ involved. Especially when you're company is in the red. Why not explore all possible markets for your technology?

        • My whole point was that it is possible to divorce oneself of hangups about porn when there is $$ involved. Especially when you're company is in the red. Why not explore all possible markets for your technology?



          I agree with you totally on this one. A company, especially when it's in the red, needs to look at all avenues to generate income.

    • It's just that -- in general -- there's so many better things you could be doing with your life than watching and/or developing porn. Not that it's not Big Business, and sure, some guy may come along and do it; but do you really want to be That Guy?

      that's all.

      ~jeff

  • Attractive nuisance (Score:5, Funny)

    by Ungrounded Lightning ( 62228 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @12:02PM (#2274105) Journal
    Seriously I would love a bit of feedback when my mouse moves over a button or a link: Sorta like how modern window managers can snap borders to edges of other windows or the screen when moving or resizing...

    But imagine the virtual "gravity well" sucking your mouse into the ad banners.

    Brings a whole new meaning to "real time black hole".

    • Argh! (OT) (Score:1, Offtopic)

      by sg3000 ( 87992 )
      > I once was "Ungrounded Lightning Rod" but /. slashed off my " Rod".

      Dear GOD! Was it the new version of Slashdot that did this to you? All that happened to me was it quit spam-proofing my address.

      Forget worrying about web sites tracking my mouse movements or sending gravity-well pop-up ads -- I'm surfing with a codpiece!
    • the virtual "gravity well" sucking your mouse into the ad banners.

      I'm not a big fan of banner ads, but I don't see haptic feedback sucking me into anything. The banner ads won't cause any moving or shaking until you mouseover, and unless you love playing those banner ad games, this doesn't pose much of a problem.

      The main problem I see is over-eager web or app designers putting feedback into everything, just like whenever any other user interface feature comes along (remember obnoxious java applets and animated gifs?).

  • Good for blind people (Score:2, Insightful)

    by simetra ( 155655 )
    This would probably be great for reading braille webpages. Otherwise, it sounds annoying.
    • This would probably be great for reading braille webpages. Otherwise, it sounds annoying.

      Well.. maybe if the blind still used braille. It's a myth... They don't... they use books on tape and such these days, it's hardly taught anymore. Braille books are huge and cause portability and storage problems.

      It would, however, be a way for the blind to find items on the screen, but it does not and can not match text-to-speech for accessability.
      • If people don't use Braille anymore, then how come in libraries and schools etc. there's always Braille on the signs?
        • If people don't use Braille anymore, then how come in libraries and schools etc. there's always Braille on the signs?

          It's just a continutaion of that myth. It's also those institutions finally catching up the values of the 50s!

          Note that your average drive-up ATM has braille. Now, as every comic has pointed out, THAT is really not useful. Also, none of those signs would be useful in an emergency.

          There are people that still use it, which makes those signs a little valuable, but most every blind student these days uses tapes. Perhaps the tech could be developed to feel braille with a mouse, but I don't think it would be used much (though could it cause a braille to be used again electronically??)

          • Re:Good for blind people (Score:3, Interesting)

            by Nater ( 15229 )
            Perhaps the tech could be developed to feel braille with a mouse.

            This is actually a great idea. How about a mouse with a dot-matrix like Braille pad, say, right between the buttons, that produces the Braille character that matches the character under the pointer. Don't forget your patents!
            • This has ben around for years. I remember reading in some magazine about how blind people use computers, and they mentioned just that. It must have been in 3-2-1 Contact magazine when I was about 7. No idea what happened to the idea, but it has always stuck in my head as brilliant.
          • > Note that your average drive-up ATM has braille.

            So you're suggesting no blind person would ever get in a taxi and ask the cab driver to take him to an ATM?
            • And how would he enter in information into the screen?

              i suppose he could ask the cabbie.

              Blind Man: Sir, could you enter my pin and withdraw 500 dollars for me?

              Cabbie(smiling wickedly): Sure, sure.

              Withdraws entire balance and hands the blind guy 5 singles.
          • One possible reason why drive-up ATMs have Braille dots is that it's cost-advantageous to use the same components to build drive-up and indoor ATMs (and indoor ATMs if I recall are required by law to have Braille). It's easier for the company to simply manufacture all their ATMs with the same buttons. Plus, as someone else mentioned, the driver isn't always the person who uses the drive-up ATM; a blind person could sit in the back seat and use it.

            However, the question remains as to how useful Braille buttons are, drive-up or otherwise, on a device whose feedback to the user is entirely visual.
        • how come in libraries and schools etc. there's always Braille on the signs?

          Every time I see those restroom signs with "Men" and "Women" written on them in Braille, I can't help but chuckle at the thought of some blind guy in desperate need of a commode searching frantically for those signs so that he can find the appropriate bathroom. They just seem so useless... no better really than having Braille on a billboard on the roadside.
      • A friend of mine has a blind student in one of the classes he's TA'ing - he has to have all of the handouts printed up in Braille.
        I guess that student is a throwback to the Middle Ages, huh?
        • And that little box that the student takes notes and such in that has a braille "screen" on it must not really do that. Yup, I don't think anybody uses it any more. I wonder what those books he carries around with the little bumps on the pages are? Punch cards?
      • Erm... Actually they do. My mother is an aide for a blind student, and I had to OCR a book for him.

  • again.. WTF (Score:3, Interesting)

    by davey23sol ( 462701 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @12:03PM (#2274112) Journal
    For the 2nd time today.. this HAS been going on for a while. You can make your Windows desktop and website touchy feely using the logitech i-feel mouse [logitech.com]. I have one and it actually works okay.

    Just improve it a bit and you got it...
    • You can make your Windows desktop and website touchy feely using the logitech i-feel mouse. I have one and it actually works okay.

      Got one myself, but there's a drawback: no matter what settings I put it on, it makes my wrists hurt within minutes. I've got the onset symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, and it's really getting better, but I had to turn off the iFeel feedback. Weird.
      • I tried one of those in the store and had to put it down and walk away after 30 seconds. I tried the various presents but they all felt uncomfortable and unpleasant.

        If I want FF in a mouse, I want it to feel similar to, for example, assembling a high quality plastic toy, where you can feel a subtle change when the parts actually lock together. This mouse felt more like... I dunno, like metal pinging against metal. Like head sweeps on a particularly loud hard drive. Or like someone flipping rubber bands at it while I was using it. And the vibrations went right up into the center of my hand, right into the carpal tunnel, and stayed there for many minutes afterward. In 30 seconds it was uncomfortable; after couple minutes I guess it would have been excruciating.

        Why does the whole mouse vibrate? Wouldn't it work better to have the mouse button actually move slightly under your fingertip? Mouse over an object onscreen and the button "gives" slightly, say, 1/5th the distance downward needed to actually click the button. Not even enough to be visible but enough that you can feel it. In fact it shouldn't change the force necessary to click the button - the switch itself should move too. Meanwhile, save the vibrating mouse for Quake.

    • Re:again.. WTF (Score:5, Informative)

      by big.ears ( 136789 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @12:13PM (#2274170) Homepage
      There are two problems with thiis:

      (1) It doesn't do much good, aside from annoying the user. Haptic sensory information must travel much further than visual info, and the sensory transducers are not really low-latency, so by the time you feel the icon, its too late--You have already used your visual system to hone in on the target, and so you already know you are there (cf. Fitts's Law). I know that some people think these force-feedback mice are cool, but whenever I have used one, I just feel like some gunk is stuck on my mouse ball.

      (2) Its not available for Linux--which is why CT might be unaware of it.

      • Re:again.. WTF (Score:3, Informative)

        by pergamon ( 4359 )
        write your own:
        http://moore.cx/dan/out/ifeel/ [moore.cx]
        • Mod Parent Up. This looks like it has the reason why this technology that could be so promising is so crappy. They've got this thing as a simple binary thing - either shaking or not, when they should have this thing with varying degrees of vibration, plus varying amounts of difficulty in moving the ball - a very stiff, rough movement if you're moving over gravel, a very slick movement if your're going over ice, with several points in between.
          • Even the simple iFeel is a *little* more than just "shaking or not" -- it does have "varying degrees of vibration" and the frequency of shaking can be chosen too as indicated (http://moore.cx/dan/out/ifeel/ [moore.cx]). Irregular patterns of vibration can be handled by just timing individual pulses in software. The Immersion software simulates textures by triggering pulses of various intensities that correspond to the mouse position/movement. It isn't spectacular, but is a much better effect than I anticipated. There are pointing devices that do actually restrict movement, in particular I've seen at least one that is a mouse, but they're much more expensive. The nice thing about the iFeel is that it gives another non-intrusive way to indicate something to the user at very low cost. The bad thing is that no one really uses it well right now.
    • You can make your Windows desktop and website touchy feely using the logitech i-feel mouse [logitech.com]. I have one and it actually works okay.

      I have a logitech IFeel mouse, and the tactile feedback gets old real fast. I turned it off after only a few days. I occasionally turn it on for games, but that's about it. Nothing like having your mouse vibrate when you're playing Tribes 2 and you run over a mine.



      • I have one too. I also found it the most useless piece of technology I own. I had trouble actually turning off the feedback and so it still jiggles around a bit when I'm trying to click something. More like the opposite of a black hole. It just refuses to go there.
  • This used in conjunction with the javascript crappy 2nd generation darth [microsith.com] paperclip technology mentioned in the recent Spyware story will make for some horrific web experiences. Remember static web pages, where you chose what to read an what to do and how to react when you dragged the mouse over a link? Odds are, in five years you won't.

    END RANT MODE

  • the mouse provides tactile feedback in addition to letting you click on your porn.

    OK, looking at porn is one thing, but being able to feel up a woman without ever meeting her? How many women will stand for that(even pr0n stars)? If there are so many why aren't they walking up to me on the street and offering? Is it that much different if shes there or not when I do it? Can you honestly say "I've never felt up a woman" after using this technology for pr0n? Things are getting a little too weird.

    • Not to be mean, but I'd like to mention that this is, perhaps, the silliest argument one could have regarding this technology.

      I suspect you are just trolling, but keep in mind that people use all sorts of gadgets to simulate human interaction (coke bottles, inflatable dolls, etc).

      Rest easy. I don't think there will be a porn star revolt anytime soon.
    • How many women will stand for that(even pr0n stars)?

      Dude, they are porn stars!! They are well paid for what they do, and I don't begrudge them the right to make their living. However, assuming they were paid at some point, why would you assume that they would object to this?

  • Ultimate Porn Site (Score:4, Funny)

    by Nater ( 15229 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @12:06PM (#2274127) Homepage
    So far today there have been articles on tactile mouse feedback, replicators, and browser spyware that records mouse movements. Of course, we already know that the porn industry will be the first to utilize these things to full effect, but can you imagine what it would be like to use all three? Imagine images the react to your mouse movement and give you tactile feedback, all while replicating on your desk!

  • Maybe you wouldn't love it if you tried (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I would love a bit of feedback when my mouse moves over a button or a link

    I view my mouse movements as a plane taking off and landing at my destination. I don't want to feel bumps for each tree I fly over, I want a smooth ride, and maybe one bump when I land, but how can a haptic device know where I want to land? Better to forget about the whole idea.
  • From the article:
    Executives at haptics research companies are especially hopeful about the science's contribution to e-commerce. They predict that within 10 years, shoppers will be able to "feel" a piece of silk or other fabric simply by rubbing their finger over a computer screen--removing a significant boundary for many would-be Internet shoppers.
    I can see it now. "This silk doesn't feel the same way it did on the computer screen". Damn. I want my money back.

  • Poor Mrs. Gates (Score:4, Funny)

    by SirSlud ( 67381 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @12:07PM (#2274134) Homepage
    "On Wednesday, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates showed off a handheld computer that understands which way is up and where it's being touched."

    His wife was, reportedly, fuming on the sidelines of the press conferance. Apparently, she was mumbling something about the invention resulting in her role being usurped in the couple's sex life.
    • "On Wednesday, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates showed off a handheld computer that understands which way is up and where it's being touched."

      Why do I get the feeling this is the only reason why this new technology was reported?

      "Oh, wow, Bill Gates said it, so it must be true..."

      *fumes*

  • Simulate hatpic feedback! Try it today! (Score:4, Funny)

    by Unknown Bovine Group ( 462144 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @12:11PM (#2274158) Homepage
    I stumbled apon what I now know is a simulation of Haptic feedback several times in the past. To enable this simulation, simply eat corn/potato chips in the general vicinity of your mousepad.

    Of course, the bumps don't really correspond to whats on the screen, but every once in a while, damned if it doesn't seem that way!
  • I've tried the whole "Immersion" Tech with those Logitech Mice. It kind of feels like a gummed up mouse (rollerball style, not Laser), almost like some forgot to clean the rollers. It get's annoying real fast.

    I hope this is more than that, otherwise count me out.

    Sean D.

  • UNC's use of haptic interfaces (Score:5, Interesting)

    by LeftHanded ( 160472 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @12:13PM (#2274175) Homepage Journal
    UNC has been using haptic interfaces, in conjunction with VR technology, to allow [bio]chemists the ability to 'assemble' new compounds at the atomic level. The researchers have grappling arms attached to their hands. The atomic repulsion/attraction is felt by the user, and can be used to figure out how the atoms / molecules should join together.
  • So this is touch; we've had sound for a good while, and of course sight. Throw in aromatherapy and you've got the whole experience. I seem to recall that about 6 years ago the hot topic was the "3D Virtual Reality" interface, but nothing really came of that. Fundamentally, I don't think these technologies make the computer more productive as a work device - on the contrary, they tend to get in the way. Is there anybody out there that does productive computing that actually uses systems sounds beyond the basic "bell"?

    Personally, I prefer fluid motion - I don't want an interface to get in the way. This doesn't mean that I don't think this technology could have an application in the computer as an entertainment device, but I'll believe it when I see it. For my 3D-sense-enabled experiences, I prefer going for a walk.
    • I think there's a real use for haptic devices in concert with VR. While entertainment is certainly one of those applications, training and simulation is probably more useful. In time, building a simulation of something complex will be part of the design process and in turn could be used in training. The cost to develop those models will decrease making this an effective alternative for hands-on experience.

      I can see training medical personnel, engineers and mechanics, bomb-squads, etc. with this kind of technology.

  • Not just for web... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Neumsy ( 201524 )
    It would be great to feel the mouse actully give back when you cross over something or near it. Sometimes I have trouble finding where the dang pointer is when I'm working on people's computers. Mostly when their screen is all white with the default pointer in windows. But just think about it when playing games too. Imagine taking a rocket in quake and actually having your hand pushed back a little. Or if you run into a wall and it won't let you push it anymore. Of course it could work for any game out there.
    • I've been using the LogiTech iFeel Mouse in Unreal Tournament [immersion.com] and Black & White [immersion.com] with good success. In my opinion it does add realism to UT and does seem to make it easier to determine quickly what's happening. In B&W it's mostly helpful in determining when you've actually done something, since it can be hard to tell sometimes. Source code is included on these pages.
  • Every time it goes over a link it emits a nice electric shock so that you will notice the link. Tactile feedback.

    Jeremy
  • Haptic researchers are also working on hardware and software that will enable people to feel fabric in great detail--right down to the grain of the thread and the bias. But, he said, mainstream commercial use of haptics for e-commerce is years away.

    I wouldn't mind a mouse where there is a tactile surface where the buttons are today. There would have to be several configuration options.

    • tactile graphics, turn on/off
    • Tactile text turn on/off
    • tactile intensity adjustment, similar to sharpness - brightness - contrast in monitors
    • Scale adjustments for buttons, etc.
    I wouldn't mind having tactile for buttons, table edges, lines, etc.

    although I wonder what the best way for to enable your right/secondary click options would be.

    - - -
    Radio Free Nation [radiofreenation.com]
    an alternate news site using Slash Code
    "If You have a Story, We have a Soap Box"

  • Wasn't there a similar idea out a few years ago where you could hook up a "Smell-o-matic" chemical emitting device to your box, thereby allowing web sites to embellish your web experience with smells? I hope this is half as successful as that idea was.

    Truthfully, though, this could have lots of application in accessibility for the blind. Braille web pages could be just around the corner. BML?
  • Or else I can just continue binding ridiculous things like Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Meta-F8 to every little action.

    Yikes, a quintiple-bucky...
    • Or, on my laptop, since I'd have to hold down Function to enable the F-keys, that would be a... sextuple-bucky!.

  • Other uses (besides pr0n) (Score:3, Interesting)

    by dpilot ( 134227 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @12:29PM (#2274262) Homepage Journal
    In David Brin's "Sundiver" they administered a test, where they studied a person's eyeball movements as they were shown a picture. The objects of focus, lingering time, and relative timing of noticing those objects in the first second or two were construed to have deep psychological meaning. The test results were used to determine who was a rightful member of society, and who bore 'watching'.

    Obviously haptics is less sophisticated than eyeball tracking, but perhaps not really. Eyeball tracking is straightforward once you have the sensor. Inferring the same type of information from mouse movements seems in some ways more sophisticated to me.

    So put on your Gibsonian hats for a moment, and imagine an Echelon/Carnivore-type backdoor *required* in haptic feedback systems. Then have data-mining of that information looking for criminal or terrorist tendancies. Unlikely? Yep. But compared to Strategic Missile Defense?

  • It's already here (Score:3, Funny)

    by tmark ( 230091 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @12:33PM (#2274271)
    15 years ago, when the Atari 2600 ruled the roost and Ms. Pacman came out for it (what a great game given the console's limitations), my mother (who was very good at it) claimed that the game would sometimes physically drag her down tunnels to her demise. She *swore* she could feel the joystick tugging in the wrong direction, despite her best efforts to go elsewhere. Having opened the joysticks several times, I tried my best to convince her that this was *not* possible, but she refused to believe me. So my mother would really rather not have anything to do with any *more* haptic input, thank you very much.
  • Keep a bunch of crap on your mousepad. You know, boogers, chewed gum, spitballs made of VA Linux stock certificates. Everything you roll your mouse over will give you tactile feedback.
  • Most of the e-commerce applications of haptics envisioned border on useless.


    "People don't buy online because they want to feel the fabric or squeeze the Charmin." A simulated feel or squeeze is not going help. To me, this looks like a technology that has little pratical application.


    Granted, there are niche applications as described in the medical fields or for the blind, but mainstream applications such as haptic enabled mice do not offer much value to the average person.


    It should be noted that Taco's example of windows that can snap to a position or size demonstrate exactly how interfaces can be improved without using haptic technology. Tacos examples utilize visual feedback, are available today, and are very effective. Why invent a technology to solve a problem when an effective solution already exists?

    • Why invent a technology to solve a problem when an effective solution already exists?

      Oh, sure. Kick the Internet Revolution while it's down.

  • this is something i'd been contemplating for a while, then i saw the logitech iFeel [logitech.com] mouse. i wanted to try one in an everyday/productivity environment, but all i could find was their cheezy store display that made the mouse 'buzz' when you scrolled over a dot.

    my goal is to find an other-than-visual feedback mechanism for everyday UI controls; i.e. being able to locate/confirm buttons, menu items, without relying soley on visual input to do so.

    the goal is simple: to get faster. i already use the Finder sounds on my MacOS machine, the audible feedback allows me to already be retraining my visual focus on the next task position even before i click to complete the current one - i know to click when i hear the blip. it allows you to lead with your eyes; you spend less time pondering the next task.

    audio, however, is not the most convenient feedback mechanism. in noisy office environments you either have to wear headphones and be in a cocoon, or turn your speakers up, and the constant bleeps will probably annoy your cubicle neighbors enough that they plot some sort of revenge.

    so, does anyone own one of the logitechs? pity it's such a simple/flat mouse, i don't think the company has really explored this as a productivity enhancing tool, so it would seem that this [logitech.com] one is the litmus test to see if the market embraces it or dismisses it as a novelty.

    • I bought the iFeel mouse, and my roommate bought the iFeel mouseman about 6 months ago. They had just come out, and we saw them at the store, with nothing else to spend our money on that day. We both think they are the best mice we've ever used. He prefers the bigger mouse (envy?), while i prefer the smaller one. I'm not sure what you mean by saying saying it's a simple/flat mouse. The iFeel Mouseman is quite an advanced looking piece of machinery, just a little too big for me. I preferred the standard iFeel Mouse. I was moving from a standard wheel mouse, so i was totally blown away with the optical AND iFeel capabilities. It just seems to make it easier to "know" i'm on a button, because the mouse vibrates just slightly while i'm moving over a button. There is definitely a lot of potential there that still needs to be realized though. Someone mentioned that it hurt their wrist, but mine are fine after 8-10 hour diablo 2 super-fast-clicking sessions. can't say I use it much for work, since I am stuck with the plain old IBMer at work. It's really nice though, hopefully people will do more to make it useful for other applications.
  • BleepBleepBleep, "you just beat me cause I had the stupid vibrator on. I can't play with that crap, turn it off"

    "I don't know where to do it, Haha too bad. You just suck anyway, quit making excuses"

    "No you suck. I get first controller..."
  • the mouse-watching tech [slashdot.org] and we'll really be on to something!
    • I don't think it would catch on. Steel spikes ramming out of your mouse and pinning your hand to it every time a pop-up ad appears would piss off even the strongest corporate advocate.

      -Legion

  • Certianly there will be some use for some people, but overall they will be a small percentage.

    General browsing(what most people do) will only be handicapped as webwienies..er webmasters, find ways to use this for everything on the site they master..er maintain.

    short of wiring the actual tactile sense into your brain, this will never be tactile enough to judge textile products with.

    and of course gamers will claim that there is an 'unfair' advantge to this as some people download driver that lets them 'feel' when there on target. Which will allow people who MIGHT have that ability to be banned from certain server(like having a driver which gives you the ability to see through walls, even though your not using it).

    basically its another really cool technology with very limited real world use.
  • A full body suit that you would strap on before you loaded up something like 'knockout kings.' Every time you get punched you feel a hit wherever you got punched. Just imagine how fun it would be to tweak your own games then...

    "Here (insert person-who's-been-pissing-you-off's name here), try playing Mech Warrior with this suit on..."

  • An improved user interface is only 5 years away... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Compulawyer ( 318018 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @01:20PM (#2274488)
    This seems to rate right up there with speech recognition as one of those technologies whose advent has been only 5 years away for the past 15 years.

    That being said, it is really sad to think that there have been few really innovative and memorable improvements to the human-computer interface since the original Macintosh in 1984. (Yes I know Messr. Jobs got it from Xerox - cool your jets flamers. The Mac was the first widely available GUI system. Facts are facts.)

    Not only is it time to start thinking more seriously about using the 4 other senses besides sight to enhance the human-computer interface (no pr0n jokes, please - I'm serious) but it is also high time to realize that not everyone has the use of their eyes. This type of interface improvement can do wonders for the visually impaired computer users among us. I'd like to see more improvements of this type.

  • *shrug* (Score:3, Insightful)

    by uebernewby ( 149493 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @01:31PM (#2274522) Homepage
    is what you'll most likely do should you come accross the only piece of equipment in existence today that actually uses this technology: the force feedback mouse. If you haven't tried it: it vibrates if you place the mousepointer on something that can be clicked. If you run into the edge of a window, it, well, also vibrates.

    hardly the most exciting "user experience".

    somehow, I don't see them get from "vibrate" to "within 10 years, shoppers will be able to "feel" a piece of silk or other fabric simply by rubbing their finger over a computer screen" (article). if we're supposed to be able to mimic "the feel of silk" in ten years, right now we should've been able to "feel the shape of a woman's tits", i should think. and i'm pretty sure the porn industry would've picked up on this if it were possible.

    i wouldn't expect this technology to come into existence within the next ten years if i were you. nor twenty or thirty.

  • I like my idea better (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    How about instead of Haptic feedback, someone invents slapstick feedback!

    When you click on an banner ad, you get a pie in the face!

  • I can see this type of thing being included in the next release of Net Nanny/Cyberpatrol/etc.

    NetNanny... Make your children run from pr0n (or their mouse anyway)!

  • I haven an iFeel (Score:3, Informative)

    by Lord Ender ( 156273 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @01:50PM (#2274598) Homepage
    "Seriously I would love a bit of feedback when my mouse moves over a button or a link."

    Well taco, the Logitech iFeel mouse has been out for several months and is already able to do that. I have one. It is usb-only (which is a pain to set up sometimes even with the latest kernel) and there are no drivers for linux that allow it to use the vibration, though. With the windows drivers, it vibrates whenever you move it over a link in IE, but it is not that helpful, because it doesn't keep vibrating. You feel the same then whether you move it past the link or not. Not very helpful. And it only works in Internet Explorer, not Netscape or Opera (which is by far the best-engineered browser of them all). All in all the mouse is neat but the tactile feedback is not useful. So, in my opinion, this "feedback" techonology is not the next big thing, and will be almost unheard of in a few years except in specialized tasks.

  • Then when some luser calls you on the support line and asks something really stupid, you could trigger their mouse to give them a shock.

    Along the same lines, computers and monitors should include small explosive charges that could be detonated in the same circumstances.

  • Blind leading the blind (Score:3, Interesting)

    by hubbabubba ( 309496 ) on Monday September 10, 2001 @01:56PM (#2274618)
    Nothin' new here folks. Virtouch [virtouch.com] has been doing this technology for quite some time, and their product is in use [csun.edu] in any number of places. It's meant to help blind folk visualize objects on the computer screen, and by all accounts it works quite well. Whomever suggested that this technology is useless because blind people don't do braille anymore doesn't know what they're talking about. Not a surprising phenomenon at /. of course.

    hubbabubba

    I yam a proud and happy

  • to touch my mouse while surfing pr0n?
  • Or else I can just continue binding ridiculous things like Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Meta-F8 to every little action.
    Now, I know Emacs has a lot of features, but do you think they're really going to add haptics support?

    (Humor, not flamebait. Please mod accordingly.)

  • Again, making the virtual world more like the real world. Anyone remember the Simpsons' episode where Marge could get the kids to do yard work, but as soon as they saw the yard work simulator they wanted to do that?


  • but maybe I'm just not a true geek. I can't seem to get excited about this. But then again, I actually look at my screen, and different color fonts with underline seem to work quite well as to alert me to links.
  • I recently had the oppotunirty to hav a play on one of those "internet pay phones" recently featured on slashdot (cant find the original stoty right now... soz :-( ). What really impressed me was the touch screen. I really want one at home now - they rule! Imagine it.... being able to click on a link - actually click on it, with your finger to the screen. Moving the scrollbar with your finger. It rocks, trust me.


    Then again, the novelty will probably wear off after 10 minutes and I'll be back to console lynx style...

  • I don't see how this can be very useful as long as it is constrained to simple things like mice on the desktop. I can see my links perfectly clearly. Clearly enough to click on them, even. Having my mouse vibrate when it goes over something I can see easily does not help me.

    If I were playing a game, this would be much different. It would be cool to have the mouse give a kick when I shoot. Can you think of other uses?

  • Oh wait, that's haptically, not hepatically...
  • I want a radio tuner wheel that "clicks" into stations relative to how strong they are.

    -Frank
    • Delco Electronics [delphiauto.com], a division of Delphi Automotive, designs and manufactures a number of radio models for automobiles around the world. They already have the capability to adjust the volume based on your speed. Another technology available in some models is "negative" noise, which cancels out road noise, making for a quieter ride. Check out this page [delphiauto.com] to see what other products are currently available or are coming down the pipe. If you don't see this one, contact someone at Delco. The only function like this currently available that I know of are the SEEK and SCAN buttons.
  • it works on self-deforming flat screen technology. Touch-screens with the ability to make "buttons" could be as revolutionary to the UI as the mouse was. Just don't ask me how it would work.
  • Let's see, I can use the iSmell [digiscents.com] to recreate scents. I can get the 180 degree immersive monitor [hammacher.com] to immerse my sense of sight. My sense of hearing can be fooled by the AuSIM reCREate [ausim3d.com]. The previously mentioned iFeel MouseMan [logitech.com] covers my sense of touch. That just leaves my sense of taste, which is obviously lacking if I would use all of these products rather than go outside and take a walk. &ltsigh&gt I suppose I will just have to lick my iSmell.
  • Personally, I'd rather have a browsing experince without any mousing around whatsoever (which may explain why I'm posting this with lynx). Mouse-oriented interfaces strike me as being really brain dead more often than not... they make a minor effort to throw in keyboard short cuts, but it's just an after thought. Like what exactly is the point of making me do a right click before I can hit a keyboard short cut to pick something out of the right click menu?

    Serious question: is there a window manager that will let me do X mouse operations using user definable keyboard commands? E.g. I'd really like to replace the "middle-click" with, say, the F12 key.

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