Background

The Gyration Ultra GT mouse can be used in the air without a surface. Sound incredible? Read on and find out if this device performs as advertised.

Today we are looking at probably the most unique combination of sensor and transmission technology seen in the consumer input device market — the Gyration Ultra GT. What sets this mouse apart from the rest is that unlike all traditional mice that are bound to a surface in order to function, the Gyration Ultra GT can be used off the surface and ‘in the air’. Sounds good, right? But how much of this is a marketing gimmick and how much of it is actual usable technology? Let’s read on and find out.

The Company – Gyration

Gyration, Inc. is a company founded in 1990 with the purpose of providing tools that break down the barrier between the user’s input and the user’s display. Their flagship innovation is GyroPoint Power technology which is a sophisticated sensor (a gyroscope) that detects human motion (regardless of orientation or posture) and converts it into machine movements like cursor motion.

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Gyration has successfully made in-roads in the OEM market, but for us the consumer, we know them better for their mice. Their Gyration mice has traditionally been targetted for business users, but with the proliferation of media PCs and gaming consoles, we are now seeing potential beyond the corporate scene.

Because GyroPoint technology is patented, you will not see any other product on the market with similar functionality – the ability to control a machine’s behaviour using the motion of your body.

The Technology
Gyroscopes have been used for decades in planes and boats to help navigation. Today they are used in everything from virtual reality simulators, to the Segway, to robotics. But what is a gyroscope exactly?

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Image Source: Georgia State University – HyperPhysics

A gyroscope is an instrument that can point in a given direction seemingly regardless of gravity — no matter how you rotate the gyroscope. This property of gyroscopes is the foundation of the Gyration mouse.

 

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The Gyration mouse contains a miniature gyroscope that is activated by the trigger. When the trigger is pulled, the mouse uses the gyroscope to help track its orientation and therefore the mouse knows exactly which direction it is ‘pointing’ when activated.

 

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Combine this gyroscope technology with long-range radio frequency transmission, and you have yourself a pointing device that can work in the air while standing up, sitting on the couch, and/or across the room.

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