Three researchers at Microsoft Research have created an innovative handheld pointing device that works in mid-air. “Soap” — which resembles a bar of soap — is based on hardware found in a common wireless optical mouse, and is relatively easy to make, according to its inventors.

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There are numerous situations in which one might wish to control an appliance while standing or walking — for example, when giving a slide presentation or interacting with a wall-sized display — according to Soap developers Patrick Baudisch, Mike Sinclair, and Andrew Wilson.

Normally, a mouse is not usable as a mid-air device because it requires a surface (the mouse pad) to act as a position reference. Without that reference the mouse is useless. In short, a mouse comprises two elements: the movable part (the mouse itself), and the reference surface.

Soap, too, contains two main elements: a “lentil shaped” core, and an elastic hull that encloses the core.

The core, made from two plastic hand sanitizer bottles, contains the functional elements of a wireless optical mouse with the sensor pointing outwards, according to the team. The hull (see illustration, below), made from a sock, encloses the core, which can move free inside the hull.

Soap core
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Users operate Soap by applying “off axis” pressure that causes the core to rotate inside the hull, the team explains. The sensor detects the motion as if it were moving over a mouse pad. In effect, the hull becomes the mouse pad.

Soap core and hull
Soap has been tested in a variety of application scenarios, including wall display interaction, Windows Media Center control, slide presentations, and interactive video games, according to the researchers. It offers high-resolution sensing and provides a “tactile sensation” that helps users understand when they have moved and by what amount.

YouTube video demonstrating Soap
The Soap website has instructions and a video that demonstrate how to build Soap, plus additional papers, videos, and more.

 
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