September 16, 2004

An inventor from Canada has developed a computer mouse that is controlled by nose and eyelid movements. The invention is dubbed the "Nouse."

The inventor, Dmitry Gorodnichy, of the National Research Council's Institute of Information Technology presented his research at a public symposium in Ottawa on today.

Gorodnichy hopes his invention will make it easier for people with disabilities to use computers.

"Combined with the Face in Video tools such as blink detection, Nouse provides a complete intelligent hands-free alternative to conventional tangible input devices, such as the mouse or joystick, said a statement on the NRC Web site.

Taking advantage of webcam technology, users simply blink for left and right clicks. Sofware that tracks the position of the nose takes care of moving the cursor around the screen.