Hardware Recommendations Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for people seeking specific hardware recommendations. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I am looking for a head-controlled mouse controlled with neck movements. I have found
How do they compare in terms of accuracy when moving the mouse cursor? My setting is multi-monitor (6). I am open to other devices as well (controlled with neck movements).
I would start with only systems that are "self contained", meaning they need no software or special drivers installed. These units will be recognized as a standard mouse and the OS will use a standard HID driver.
There are 2 main technologies used in developing head controlled mice. Accelerometer/Gyro based systems like eeZee Mouse Tracer and Headmaster are generally the FASTEST and MOST ACCURATE. The camera based systems which track head or eye movement seem to be the most widely marketed, although often more expensive and somewhat less responsive; including: Accupoint, Camera Mouse, myGaze, ViVo Mouse, Eagle Eyes, Erica, Eye Gaze, Eye Guide, Eye Mouse, Quick Glance, PCEye, Vision Key.
Most reputable manufacturers have a demo or loaner program in order to "test drive" their products for little or no cost. Each state has a lending library of Assistive Technology devices.
An old medical evaluation of head-controlled mice can be found under the title of "Efficacy of three head-pointing devices for a mouse emulation task". My newbie status prevents me from including more than 2 links.
I tried all four devices you asked to compare. In terms of accuracy -and responsiveness- Headmaster and Headmouse Extreme are the best. Nothing beat them, they are just perfect like a standard mouse is. If you have a good head movement you'll take the best from them.
I'm a quadriplegia C4-C5 and I design with an Headmouse Extreme with sip/puff and the standard windows -or linux- onscreen keyboard. Inkscape, Illustrator, Photoshop, 3dsmax, Coreldraw, whatever software I try it works perfect. Occasionally I do simple video and audio editing. I have a two monitor configuration, sip and puff system is arm mounted on desktop, I use two reflective dots -to improve efficency- on the right side of my glasses, I can send photoes if you want. I can move the cursor all over the lengh of both monitor, from left to right and vice versa; if the headmouse looses the signal before acclompishing this task, I slighty switch back with my head, Headmouse re-finds dot signal and I finish that cursor movement. Headmaster doesn't have this little drawback -very little, You'll not ping pong your cursor all the time-; I felt uncomfortable wearing HMaster headset, it's also wired to the PC so you are not free to go away with your wheelchair. A simple dot on a comfortable support is the easyest option. Maybe in the future a lightweight wireless ultrasonic device will give a reborn to HMaster. Every InfraRed based device -SmartNav, Tracker, Headmouse- suffers from direct sunlight, but your display watching experience does it too, so You will ever not be in direct sunlight.
Today I also tried QUHA ZONO gyroscopic device, I was very attracted by this device: wireless and indipendent, enough lightweight, easily portable, can be used outdoor with smartphones etc.. I had to say that I couldnt try it in the best conditions and that I was looking for something performing like my headmouse. And in fact ZONO is something else. I need an easily portable -not to be used outdoor- and I'll go with an Headmouse Nano. I'll give another try to ZONO, but his gyroscoopic ancestor boost tracer seemed to suffer of the same 'kinda floating cursor' behaviour.
When I tried TrackerPro it was a bit slower than HMouse, it gave me back a light delay between my head movement and the cursor one. SmartNav is much slower so it gives a bigger delay.
