Squeezy does it

The computer mouse has been a desktop staple for decades with a rigid design that hasn’t significantly changed, despite prolonged use often causing painful repetitive strain injuries. Now, researchers have introduced two new ergonomic mouse designs that focus on hand comfort and natural movement.

The first, the ‘Fleximouse’, is a squeezable, pink mesh blob. Users move the cursor by making slight adjustments to their grip. The second, a vertical A-frame, is designed to minimise wrist movement. The Fleximouse is made from a pantographic mesh. The flexible body allows the fingers to move the pointer using more natural joint ranges so the user doesn’t have reposition their wrist very often, reducing strain. User testing also highlighted the “glee” felt about using a more playful and squeezable device.

Muscle analysis showed that the squeezable body encourages a palmar grasp, which is one of the lowest load movements. However, the design is bulkier and more fragile, while the palmar grasp is not compatible with clicking and scrolling.

Meanwhile the A-frame, hinged mouse resembles a drawing compass and “reduces pronation and crossover in the forearm”. As with the Fleximouse, the A-frame design highlighted how hand size affects comfort and grasp effectiveness, with users experiencing “noticeable discomfort or impaired control” when the fit was even slightly off. This emphasises that “personalised sizing is not just beneficial but essential in flexible input devices”, the research noted. 

The researchers conclude that the findings “highlight the untapped potential of flexible envelopes to reimagine the input device beyond rigid shapes”.

Read the full report in the journal ACM Interactions.