A Foot Operated Pc Pointer Positioning Device

Abstract

The “mole” is a foot-operated input device for a computer which emulates a mouse in functionality. It is used to control the position of the pointer on a PC screen. The “mole” device studied in the present research is the second-generation version of the device which was developed by Pearson (1988). In Pearson's previous studies, (Pearson and Weiser 1988), he demonstrated that individuals unfamiliar with the “mole” could learn to use the device to hit small on-screen targets comparable in size to small font size characters. The present studies were designed to provide data for evaluation of both the second-generation device and its software. The first study tested the use of the “mole” in controlling the pointer to solve the problem of the Towers of Hanoi. The second study involved a short (60 second) tracking task at each of three different target sizes and three different target speeds. In the third study, six individuals each practiced for four hours using the foot control and the mouse in the same tracking tasks. The results thus far are encouraging in providing data that shows increases in performance over short (one hour) and long (four hour) periods of practice. After the short amount of practice, performance on the tracking tasks was as high as 89% and 90%; after long practice as high as 95%.