So not only are video games destroying our minds, our physiques and the fabric of moral society, but now it turns out they’re not so great for our wrists either. Well at least the standard game controllers aren’t. That’s why a company called Smartfish, known for their ergonomic peripherals, have developed the PRO:Motion Game Controller.

Since everyone’s hands and wrists aren’t the same, the PRO:Motion gamepad can actually bend and rotate in the middle to create a more comfortable and ergonomically friendly controller for every user. But here’s the really cool part. Using the company’s DPC or ‘Dynamic Positioning Controller’ system, the PRO:Motion will actually study your “usage pattern” and make periodic but nearly imperceptible adjustments to the controller via a set of tiny onboard motors. So in other words, you don’t have to futz around with it to find the perfect angles, it will do it for you automatically.

Unfortunately pricing info doesn’t seem to be readily available at this time, and from what I can tell the PRO:Motion is only designed to work with PC games, and not with any of the major consoles on the market.

[ Smartfish PRO:Motion Game Controller ] VIA [ Everything USB ]

They say once you go backpack you never go back, and if you’ve had the pleasure of using the backpack paint roller system I wrote about a few minutes ago, you’ll probably wish you could strap all of your household appliances to your back. Sadly that’s still a pipedream for a lot of us, or maybe just me, except when it comes to vacuuming!

This “ergonomic” backpack vacuum can be carried around the house on your back, which is supposedly easier than rolling it from room to room… And before you get any ideas about roaming the neighborhood at night, serving as some sort of cleaning vigilante, you’ll want to be aware that this thing doesn’t use a rechargeable battery, but instead plugs into the wall via a retractable 26 foot power cord. $169.98 from Taylor Gifts.

[ Ergonomic Backpack Vacuum ] VIA [ Likecool ]

By Evan Ackerman

Computer mice come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and styles, but generally, they have one characteristic in common: a flat surface on the bottom to keep the mouse stable. I mean, you want your mouse to be stable, right?

Right?

Don’t you?

NO. NO YOU DON’T. IT’S BAD, STABLE IS BAD. Or at least, a stable object that you use repetitively has the potential to maybe cause you some mild discomfort or pain. The Tru:Motion mouse from Smartfish can help alleviate repetitive stress injuries by wiggling around to better conform to your natural hand and arm position. The mouse pivots on its base (a stable base) from side to side and front to back to allow you to keep your wrist more relaxed.

I’m hoping that the mouse in the picture above is just a prototype design, ’cause a mouse like this is targeted at hardcore computer users, most of whom probably expect more than two or three buttons. Personally, I need a minimum of five to be productive.

Smartfish also makes a wiggling keyboard and a wiggling game controller, and they’re somehow working on a PDA, a laptop, a touchscreen keyboard, and power tools that incorporate the same actively ergonomic technology.We’ll see the mouse out at the beginning of August for $60, and the keyboard will follow at the end of August for $150.

[ Smartfish ] VIA [ DVICE ]

The first time I played with Contour Design’s RollerMouse Free was at CES earlier this year, and I’ll admit that I was initially drawn to the unusual looking device because I was spending my last day at the show specifically hunting down unusual items. But I was already familiar with Contour Design, having used one of their ShuttlePRO edit controllers for the past few years, so I knew the company produced some quality gear and I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

For those not familiar with the RollerMouse Free, or missed my CES post about it, it’s basically another alternative to a mouse/trackball/tablet/touchpad that helps reduce repetitive stress injuries with a unique ‘rolling bar’ design. And even though I was extremely skeptical that the RollerMouse could replace my traditional mouse, it only took a few minutes of use on the show floor to convince and impress me.

I was told by the Contour Design rep at CES that the RollerMouse Free was destined for a March release, and sure enough, last week the company sent me a final production unit to spend some quality time with. So hit the jump for my full review and some more photos.

If you didn’t know any better, at first glance you might think the RollerMouse Free was actually an Apple product, given it’s clean white packaging. But as I’ve said before, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and if you’re going to imitate a company’s packaging, you can’t do much better than Apple. Nothing wrong with that.

You’ll also find the simple and clean motif inside the RollerMouse’s packaging, which is rather minimal. Besides the RollerMouse Free itself, you’ll also find a multi-language user’s guide (in this case for the RollerMouse PRO, which is an older version of the product from what I understand) and a set of various sized stick-on rubber feet.

I assume the rubber feet are meant to raise the RollerMouse Free, or adjust its angle depending on how you use them, but I found them to be more useful with my keyboard. The RollerMouse is actually designed to sit just below your computer’s keyboard so that your hands are always close to the roller bar while you’re typing. But I currently use Apple’s aluminum keyboard which sits quite low compared to the RollerMouse, making it hard to reach the keys when used together. But these rubber risers helped to lift the keyboard to a height that better matched the RollerMouse, making it more comfortable to use.

Like I’ve already stated a few times, at first glance you wonder how the RollerMouse Free could ever replace your trusty mouse, but its roller bar mechanism actually works quite well. Rolling it forward and back controls the vertical movement of your cursor on-screen, while sliding the bar left and right controls the horizontal movement. It does take a bit of getting used to, but even skeptical co-workers got the hang of it in less than 5 minutes, and could immediately see its benefits.

One obvious downside to the RollerMouse though is that it’s roughly the same overall dimensions as your computer’s keyboard. So while it might provide a more ergonomic alternative to a mouse, it’s not really going to free up a lot of desktop real estate.

However, out of the box the RollerMouse Free comes with a padded wrist-rest which I found makes using it considerably more comfortable. But it’s easily removed should you find it to be in the way, or if you were hoping to reduce the RollerMouse’s overall footprint.

In addition to moving the cursor, the roller bar can also be ‘clicked’ allowing it to serve as your left mouse button, but you’ll also find a dedicated scroll wheel and a set of additional mouse buttons located just below it. By default these buttons come pre-configured for various functions (left-click, right-click ,double-click etc.) but as far as I can tell they can’t be customized. The RollerMouse Free doesn’t actually come with or need any special drivers, which is good. But it also means there’s no software-based configuration utility, which is kind of bad.

Now the previous version of the RollerMouse, the ‘Pro’ model, used a set of dip switches (yep, remember those?) located underneath the mouse to change how the additional buttons behaved, but I can’t find these anywhere on the RollerMouse Free, so I have to assume that customizing these buttons is simply not an option.

The roller bar, pictured here in an extreme close-up, has a really nice feel to it, and is covered with a textured rubber finish. It’s about a half-inch in diameter, and rolls very easily and smoothly, kind of like a flywheel minus the weight. Like I said, I’ve used other Contour Design products in the past and they’re still going strong, so I have no doubt that the RollerMouse Free will last for quite some time.

One last feature I wanted to point out is a set of clever (though necessary) ‘end detection’ buttons found on either side of the roller bar. While using the RollerMouse, you’ll occasionally find that even though the roller bar has reached the edge of its side-to-side movement, your cursor is no where near the edge of the screen. But fixing this is as easy as sliding the roller bar so that it pushes one of these buttons which re-calibrates and jumps the cursor to that side of your screen. It’s no different than when you have to re-center your mouse on your mouse pad, and it becomes second nature after a while.

Conclusions:

No one likes to be proven wrong, but in this case I’m glad the RollerMouse Free works as well as Contour Design claims. It’s actually a pretty clever alternative to your standard mouse, particularly for those who are suffering from arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome or other physical problems which makes using a regular mouse difficult. Now I’m not a doctor, so I can’t say for sure if their claim that it will reduce repetitive stress injuries is true or not, but when configured properly the RollerMouse Free is definitely quite comfortable to use.

However, I have found a few situations where the RollerMouse Free isn’t exactly the best tool for the job. For example, using it with Photoshop was quite frustrating, particularly when it came to detailed brush work. Now it may be because I usually rely on a Wacom tablet for that kind of work, and I wasn’t used to doing it with the roller bar mechanism, but I gave it my best shot and I just don’t think it’s the ideal solution for those kind of precise jobs. But that’s why I always use a tablet in addition to a mouse anyways.

It’s also not an ideal traveling companion for a laptop. Given the RollerMouse’s large footprint, even with the wrist-rest removed, it can really only be used on a desk or table. Trying to balance and use it on your lap in an airport lounge or even on a flight would be an act of futility in my opinion.

And finally, I’m afraid I also have to point out that the RollerMouse Free is a bit on the expensive side in my opinion. It’s definitely a quality piece of hardware, but $220 is a lot of money to spend on a mouse. Now I’m sure if I was in the situation where the RollerMouse allowed me to use a computer again because of a physical ailment, that price would seem like a bargain. But the average user will have a hard time justifying the cost.

Pros:
+ Works as well as a mouse or a trackball.
+ Keeps your fingers close to the keyboard at all times.
+ Designed to reduce repetitive stress injuries.
+ Well built, roller ball rolls very smoothly.
+ No drivers to install.

Cons:
- Fairly large footprint, even with the wrist-rest removed. Not exactly travel friendly.
- Can only be used with a laptop if it’s on a desk.
- Lack of custom drivers or bundled software means there’s no way to customize the additional buttons.
- Expensive.

Links:

Contour Design RollerMouse Free – $219.95

If you have any questions about the RollerMouse Free you’d like answered, please feel free to leave them in the comments, and I’ll try to respond to them as best I can.

Besides tablets, trackballs and touchpads, there haven’t been many advancements in human-PC interaction since the development of the mouse and keyboard. And while Contour Design’s RollerMouse Free is called a ‘mouse’, using it is a whole different experience. The device comes in the form of a wrist wrest, but just above the left, center and right buttons you’ll find a long spinning dowel (for lack of a better term) that can be shifted left and right by about 3 or 4 inches.

Spinning the dowel causes the cursor to move vertically on-screen, while sliding it from side-to-side takes care of the cursor’s horizontal movement. I have to say that using the device was a little awkward at first, since I’ve been pushing around a traditional mouse for about half my life, but after just a few minutes, controlling the cursor with the RollerMouse becomes second nature. The main benefit to using the RollerMouse Free is to help reduce repetitive stress injuries in your ‘mousing’ arm, but it also helps keep your hands near the ‘home row’ at all times, theoretically increasing your productivity.

According to the Contour Design rep I spoke to, the RollerMouse Free should be available in the first weeks of March for $219.95 from the company’s website.

I’ll be the first to admit that my years spent sitting behind a computer monitor at a desk has left me with a less than ideal posture, but I’m not so sure if designer Henning Kunow’s Lindo is the best solution to the problem. Made of fiberglass, the Lindo wraps around your waist and provides two sturdy supports that stick out in front of you. These supports can be used to hold a laptop, writing desk and maybe even a food tray allowing you to perform your daily duties while doing other non-sitting activities like walking, kneeling or performing some type of weird leg thrust.

Unfortunately, those of you with a desire to see your laptop come crashing to the ground will have to just push it off your desk manually, since the Lindo is only a concept prototype at this time.

[ Hip Office aka Lindo ] VIA [ Likecool ]

At one time working in a cubicle meant you weren’t exactly considered the most important employee in your office. But the Ahrend 750 series might make you feel a bit more appreciated since I don’t know too many executives who can adjust the height of their desks at the push of a button. (Unless that button is a hotline to their own private carpenter that is.)

Located in the corner of the 750 series desktops is a small panel with two buttons that can be used to automatically raise or lower the height of the desk. A simple LCD display also provides a numerical read out of the setting, so in the future it’s easy to reset the desk back to a height you prefer if someone else was using it. On top of it all the 750 series also has a pleasing, aesthetic design that just might make you glad you didn’t get that corner office.

[ Ahrend 750 Furniture ] VIA [ designboom ]

This mouse is truly extraordinary… not because of its shape, but the unique posture required to actually control the mouse properly. If you don’t follow what’s in the manual, you are in for pain. As with other ergonomic mice and keyboards, the Natural Ergonomic Mouse 6000 takes a while to get used to. In Scott’s case, it’s less than half an hour, after which your wrist will have a hella good time with the mouse. His review has an in-depth discussion of the usability of the Microsoft mouse. Other features include Magnifier and Instant Viewer; essentially rip-off from Apple’s Exposé.

Overall, I think the Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 is a great addition to any office user’s desktop. The comfort provided is extraordinary so long as posture is maintained, and the Instant Viewer and Magnifier provided within IntelliPoint help improve productivity. The laser engine and smooth (but close-range) wireless performance make for a smooth mousing experience. Your wrists will love you for it. But be warned, slouchers and gamers will feel the pain from using this mouse, both ergonomically and through the non-ratcheting scroll wheel.

[MS Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 Review @ Everything USB]