Is The Computer Mouse Headed for Extinction?
Gestural control systems like touch screens and facial recognition systems might soon spell doom for the humble computer mouse, a Gartner analyst predicts.
Although the mouse functions adequately enough in a desktop environment, in the mobile and gaming environments its shortcomings are glaring indeed.
For example, on a tiny laptop screen, it is way easier to just use your fingers to touch whatever you want, or if you’re sitting on a couch playing with your console, having to find a horizontal, smooth spot to use a mouse is next to impossible.
Enter the alternatives:
Face & Hand Gesture Recognition - Panasonic, Sony and Canon are using face recognition and hand gestures for the control of tv video and menus instead of a remote.
Emotive Response Recognition - Emotive systems where you can wear a headset and control a computer by simply thinking. A device that can do this is set to hit the market in September.
Touchscreens - Apple iPod and Microsoft Surface have shown us the usability of such interfaces in our daily lives.
