Russian teen invents LED ‘mouse-sandal’ for people who have no hands
A high-school student in the remote Russian town of Kushva has invented a computer mouse for people who have no hands. The hands-free device is a sandal with control board from a normal mouse inside, and a LED ribbon outside to help spot it in the dark.
The mouse-sandal is said to be easy to use. Sergey Halyavin, the young inventor, first tested it himself, and only two weeks later, he could easily play computer games, Oblgazeta.ru reported.
"The idea of a device that would help work on the computer with one’s feet came to me in 2015,” the teen told ura.ru.
Sergey said he was desperate to help a schoolmate, who is suffering from a musculoskeletal condition and is unable to work on the computer, using a normal mouse.
Sergey’s school practices inclusive education and has special programs for children with intellectual disabilities and students with musculoskeletal disorders.
The next challenge is to make the mouse-sandal wireless, Sergey says.
His teacher, Oksana Firsova, said the mouse proved to be a hard nut to crack, however. For example, it took time to find the right material for the top and bottom of the sole of the sandal. Sergey didn’t want to use a material that causes feet to sweat. So, the sandal’s sole was made of cork beech, light but solid.
“We also had to solder LED ‘ribbons,’ so that the person for whom the device is designed, who also has vision problems, could easily find the mouse even in the dark, and the mouse could be used as night light just as well,” Firsova told ura.ru.
