LOOK MA, NOHANDS MOUSE : BRENTWOOD FIRM SHOWING PRODUCT.Byline: P.J. Huffstutter Daily News Staff Writer For several months, computer programmer Carly Johnson has suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome carpal tunnel syndrome: see repetitive stress injury. carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) Painful condition caused by repetitive stress to the wrist over time. and been unable to work. Her doctor's advice was simple: Change jobs or change the equipment she used. Unwilling to switch careers, the 32-year-old from Austin, Texas, has come to Comdex in hope of finding a hardware solution to her problem. After two days of scouring scouring characterized by scour. scouring disease a colloquial name for secondary nutritional copper deficiency. the computer exposition, she stumbled across Hunter Digital's NoHands Mouse. ``I like the idea of moving the mouse with my feet,'' Johnson said as she slipped off one of her arm braces and cradled her sore wrist. ``I tried a different foot mouse before, but it used a track ball and I always felt like I was riding on skates.'' The NoHands Mouse, however, is a smoother ride. Developed by Dr. Aaron Sones, a retired Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. emergency room physician, the mouse shifts the focus of cursor (1) The symbol used to point to some element on screen. On Windows, Mac and other graphics-based screens, it is also called a "pointer," and it changes shape as it is moved with the mouse into different areas of the application. movement from the hands to the feet. One pedal pedal /ped·al/ (ped´'l) pertaining to the foot or feet. ped·al adj. Of or relating to a foot or footlike part. controls the cursor movement and speed, while the other handles the point-and-click function. ``I kept hearing people complaining about injuries they sustained while working on computers,'' said Sones, whose 2-year-old company is based in Brentwood. ``I know I was tired of taking my hands off the keyboard to move the mouse. I figured there had to be an easier and safer way to do things.'' Enter the NoHands Mouse, which the company began quietly selling through its World Wide Web site http://www.footmouse.com for $199 last winter. So far, the small firm has distributed its product to computer programmers and digital animators Famous animators no longer living
Hansen, who spends 10 hours a day playing computer solitaire solitaire or patience, any card game that can be played by one person. Solitaire is the American name; in England it is known as patience. There are probably more kinds of solitaire than all other card games together. and demonstrating the product at Comdex, said, ``We've sold several thousand over the past few months and things should only get better after this week.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (Color) Dr. Aaron Sones shows how to use the NoHands Mouse he developed. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Photo: (Color) Dr. Aaron Sones shows how to use the NoHands Mouse he developed. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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