Mark's Notebook


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IBM to unveil mouse adapter to steady cursor

San Francisco Chronicle

Monday 14 March 2005, 9:19 am
Keywords: Computer Topics , News Articles

Benjamin Pimentel, Chronicle Staff Writer

Inventor Jim Levine has come up with a device that helps the elderly and anyone with illnesses that cause their hands to shake, such as Parkinson's.

IBM is expected to unveil the product today, a mouse adapter that filters out the shaking movements of the hand to enable a user to navigate a PC screen more smoothly.

The device is plugged between the mouse and the PC and works like the stabilization systems found in many camcorders.

"If your hand is moving in a generally steady direction, but it is moving up and down or in a circular motion, the filter removes the little jiggles and the steady stuff stays in there," said Levine, who developed the adapter with IBM engineer Michael Schappert.

The device has been licensed by Montrose Secam, an electronics company in London. It is expected to help the firm's director, James Cosgrave, who suffers from essential tremor, an ailment that causes his hands to shake.

Frances West, director of IBM's worldwide accessibility center, said the mouse adapter is part of Big Blue's efforts to develop technologies for the elderly and people with disabilities.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/03/14/MOUSE.TMP&nl=top