We all have those knotty hacks that we still think about years after we first saw them. For serial tipster [Inne]one of them is [Patrick Baudisch]’s soap mouse, which is a do-it-yourself device for mice in the air that uses components from the shelf and around the house.
How does it work? The entrails are encased in plastic shaped like a flattened pill, which slides into a fuzzy sock. By squeezing it a little, the plastic pill rotates and turns the outward-facing sensor around and around. Although we briefly reported on the soap mouse all the way back in 2006, we think it deserves to be in the spotlight today, especially since there is a complete PDF guide to building one that is optimized for gaming. If you want a standard pointing tool instead, the conversion is described inside.
The hull itself is made of two small (empty) bottles of rubbing alcohol, chosen for their size, shape and clarity of plastic. The outermost house is a baby sock with press studs sewn on. [Patrick] says that it is difficult to move the sock towards the plastic, and has tried various methods of lubrication, such as a bit of mineral oil inside some plastic bags.
Be sure to check out the video after the break, which does a great job of explaining everything from the different types of interaction to construction in 5½ minutes.
Since 2006 has [Patrick] have held workshops where people have built their own soap mice. Have you built one? Tell us in the comments. And don’t forget the Digi-Key-sponsored Odd Inputs and Peculiar Peripherals contest, which runs through July 4th. Declare your independence from regular keyboards and mice and win big!
Thanks for the tip, [Inne]!