Central
Pointing Devices
What are Central Pointing Devices?
A Central Pointing Device is a term used
to describe an alternative mousing
device that can be effectively used in
the space between the user and their
keyboard (i.e. below the
spacebar). They employ a variety
of technologies to achieve this goal
including a rolling cylinder, a 4-way
treadmill, or capacitance based tracking
technologies. What all these
solutions have in common is their
ability to address Overextension for the mouse to the right or left side
of the keyboard.
What are the Ergonomic Benefits of
a Central Pointing Device?
Central Pointing Devices can
address Overextension
as they are placed directly in front of
the user and unlike traditional mice are
not displaced to the left or right by
the keyboard.
Unlike conventional mice, Central Pointing
Devices cannot be pinched or gripped which
eliminates the risk factor of
Static
Grip Force.
Central Pointing Devices are
ambidextrous pointing devices which
permit effortless switching between left
and right handed mousing, permitting
Load
Balancing.
The most significant concern is to ensure
that the personal
Anthropometrics
of the individual do not result in an
awkward posture when reaching into their
Midline.
If this is a consideration, consider
Central Pointing Devices which allow
access to mousing functions other than a
narrow band around the
Midline
of the user.
Central Pointing Devices can be difficult
for some users to become accustomed to as
they represent a completely different
interface. For example, solutions
which employ a cylinder require the user
to use both a 'rolling the cylinder'
action for vertical movement and a
'sliding the cylinder' for the horizontal
movement. These represent two
distinct types of muscle movement to
achieve all cursor movement (including
combining these actions when moving
diagonally).
All of these solutions have a physical
limitation in that unlike a mouse, at some
point the user if moving in one direction
at a low enough acceleration will exhaust
the motion-capture capabilities of the
device (i.e. the cylinder or treadmill
reaches the 'end' of its travel distance
laterally). Although all these
devices have features to address this
limitation, it should still be a
consideration.
For What Types of Tasks / Users are
Central Pointing Devices Suitable?
The latest generation Central Pointing
Devices serve as complete mouse
replacements for practically any
user. Some of the older generation
solutions may not be suitable for users
requiring very intense and precise control
when mousing such as graphic artists,
intense gamers and CAD designers.
What Physical Injuries or Conditions
Typically Benefit from a Central
Pointing Device?
Central Pointing Devices can be of benefit
to a wide variety of users including
individuals with hand conditions such as
arthritis and
Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome. As they also
reduce the amount of movement to use the
mouse, they are of potential benefit to
individuals with Rotator Cuff, Bursitis
and
Cubital
Tunnel Syndrome.
