This paper presents an air mouse, which would not
need any contact surface for its operation. Single device shall be
able to operate in two modes, 2D and 3D modes. In the 2D mode,
mouse movements shall be recorded in 2 Dimensions, which can
enable full functionality of a mouse pointer on screen. 3D mode
will assist 2D mode in further enhancing the mouse pointer
functionality for functions such as zoom in and zoom out. 3D
mode can be utilized for various applications such as 3D images
or games, for 3 Dimensional interfaces with the PC.
Setup of the project consists of a non-echo ultrasonic system
with three receivers at different corners of the display screen and
one hand held transmitter, which acts as the mouse. Upon
measuring the three distances, position of transmitter in three
dimensions can be determined. Once the spatial coordinates of
the transmitter are known, the x, y, and z values can be applied
for various uses. Planar coordinates, when used, will help us to
create a mouse pointer on the screen, and the movements of the
mouse pointer will be determined by x and y coordinates. Spatial
coordinates of the mouse can be used for 3D application such as
zoom functionality, 3D imaging and gaming.