IBM researcher Jim Levine holds the Assistive Mouse Adapter (Image: IBM)
The idea came to Mr Levine after seeing his uncle struggle. A special adaptor that helps people with hand tremors control a computer mouse more easily has been developed. The device uses similar "steady cam" technology found in camcorders to filter out shaking hand movements.
People with hand tremors find it hard to use conventional mice for simple computer tasks because of the erratic movements of the cursor on the screen. About three million Britons have some sort of hand tremor condition, said the UK National Tremor Foundation.
"Using a computer mouse is well known for being extremely hard for people with tremors so we're delighted to hear that a technology has been developed to address this problem," said Karen Walsh, from the UK National Tremor Foundation.
Most commonly associated with tremors is Parkinson's disease, but they can also be caused by other conditions like Essential Tremor (ET).
Tremors more often affect older people, but can hit all ages. ET, for example, is genetic and can afflict people throughout their lives.
View: Anti-tremor Mouse stops PC Shakes
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