Overview & Scope

The Writing Mouse is a handheld device that was developed by a team of 4 in attempt to provide an alternate method of hand-writing. The device is used just like a computer mouse — place your hand on the device and use your middle finger to press down on the lever, causing the writing instrument to leave a mark on the page below. ‍ It is worth noting — this device was created with specific design requirements and considerations in mind. This is the reason for certain design features (such as the lever being placed in a way that the middle finger can be used comfortably to write rather than the index finger). The team behind this project is Shaheer Amir, Natalie Dixon, Nicholas Grzelak, and I.

This project was part of the "Engineering Profession and Practice" (ENG 1P03) course taught by Dr. Robert Fleisig at McMaster University.

Initial Brainstorming

Our team came up with a few different starting points, from a writing tripod to a magnetic pencil tip + magnetic writing pad below the paper. A base similar to that of a computer mouse was chosen because of it's unique shape, allowing the user to write for longer periods of time without discomfort. Once a rough concept was created, a low fidelity prototype was created out of cardboard (from a pizza box!).

Revision & more brainstorming

Sketches were made to explore the design space. One design that was considered was a mouse with a rolling ball underneath allowing for more movement along each axis. ‍ The second design is what our team decided on due to it's simplicity. A simple computer mouse-shaped device with a lever arm attached to the front. The lever arm holds the pencil, and writing can be achieved by applying downwards pressure on the lever arm.

Final stages

A more polished prototype (the pink mouse) was created. After testing it's abilities and how it performs, some minor adjustments to the front and back lengths of the mouse were made. A final device was 3D printed (the black mouse), deeming the project complete.