Pick and Place

Partner: Ben Moll

Assignment⌗

For this project Ben and I were asked to make a USB Human Interface Device (HID) with the following requirements:

- Make an alternate HID device for 
    - A specific purpose
    - General controller for a user with differing physical abilities
    - An application-specific controller 
- Device should not require additional software drivers on the computer on which it is used
    - Should show up as a known USB HID device.
- Incorporate local feedback in your device so the user knows it’s responding
- Make a housing for your controller

Think⌗

At first Ben and I didn’t have much inspiration. We decided to go out for dinner and think. The dinner resulted in two things. First, us taking apart a computer mouse at our table and marveling at how simple it was (and never considering we were doing this in public). Second, an actual idea.

We were both interested in making something that made it easier to do subtle and/or precise movements on the screen with a mouse. We thought of a toll that could be used for nudging objects in tools like Vector Works or the Adobe suite. Also, if we made the controls big enough, it could potentially be a useful; accessibility tool allowing users to breakdown dynamic movements into individual parts.

The device would would act like a “pick and place” machine. There will be a latching button so a user can click and release the click. Then, to move the mouse vertically or horizontally, the user can use either a slider, rotary encoder, or button to move the mouse.

Last, the user can determine number of nudges/steps per movement by selecting from presets.