Using a computer mouse has become a pretty natural movement for most of us, but the hand position required to operate one is inherently unnatural for the human body. A company called Penclic is seeking to redesign the classic mouse shape with the Penclic Mouse, an input device that lets users assume a more natural, ergonomic position with the hand.

As you might guess from the name, the Penclic is shaped like a pen. Its unique shape and design allow for quicker, more precise movement than a traditional mouse. Users can rest their forearms on the work surface, reducing the risk of strain or injury to the wrist. It’s an ideal solution for designers, artists, architects, and anyone else who needs pen-like precision while they are working, but it’s also a clever and convenient change for the casual home user.

There are two different models of Penclic for different users. One is interchangeable for left-handed or right-handed people with the scroll wheel and three buttons on the pen shaft; the other features five buttons and a scroll wheel for right-handed users. The mouse also offers wired, wireless with a dongle, and wireless with Bluetooth options. A price range of $60-$100 makes it a somewhat hefty initial investment (as compared to a $5 traditional mouse) but the increased precision and decreased risk of Repetitive Stress Injury make it seem worth the price.

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Creative people use a lot of tools to get their jobs done, but keyboards and mice are limited in their functionality. Neither are very intuitive, and they can be maddeningly imprecise. The Senic Flow controller is a wireless, programmable, gesture-controlled tool that can operate all of the tools you use to interact with the digital world.

The small round controller operates with three distinct input technologies for ultimate flexibility: hand gesture recognition, touch, and precise haptics. It has a rotating ring around its perimeter that gives you 360 degrees of movement freedom as well as touch-free gesture controls and intuitive touch controls. What you do with these features is entirely up to you because the Flow is completely programmable.

The design team’s goal was to create a single controller that would be compatible with all of the most commonly used creative programs. They built in compatibility with Photoshop, Arduino, Youtube, Soundcloud, Spotify, and around 30 more. They are planning to build in even more compatibility, and since Flow is open source, programmers can build in functionality for every program they use.

According to Berlin-based Senic, the Flow was meant to be seamless and inconspicuous, fitting into your environment comfortably and easily with a minimum of visual disruption. It’s small enough to slip into a pocket so you can take it with you when you commute between work and home, and its programmed functions can be useful in both environments.

The first working prototype of the Flow is compatible with Mac devices; Senic is working on building in compatibility with iOS devices, Android, Linux, and Windows. It connects to your devices via Bluetooth Low Energy, but the company doesn’t say how long a single battery charge lasts. Flow’s IndieGoGo project has sailed past its funding goal and Senic plans to ship the first wave of Flows in summer 2015.

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We’ve all had days when we feel like punching our computers, but until now no one has done anything to make that compulsion useful. Fashion and design studio Bless created the N°41 Workout Computer as part of their larger Retroperspective Home project.

The computer consists of a monitor and a range of punching bags that function as the keyboard. Typing becomes a full-body sport as you kick, punch, and step to form every word.

The designers considered it an outdated concept that we have separate periods of the day for work and play. They wanted to experiment with the idea that work and fitness can be combined.

By combining the functions of work and play, the Workout Computer can keep the brain stimulated and the body strong. If we had to hunt and peck for every letter and then throw a punch to enter it, the emails we send would be a whole lot more succinct.

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There are those of us who are totally comfortable using our laptops’ trackpads, and then there are people who would rather use literally anything else to move their cursor around. But if you aren’t using your computer in the same place all the time, finding a mouse that easily moves around with you can be a hassle.

A group of designers known as ACE Group won a 2014 Red Dot design award for their inventive mouse design they call LOTO. LOTO starts out as a flat disc with a slice removed – like Pac-Man with a cord attached to his mouth.

When you need to use the mouse, you pull on the cord to cinch the disc into a low cone and adjust a small stopper to keep it in position. Plug it into a USB outlet on your laptop and you’re ready to go.

The LOTO is only a concept, so it owuld be interesting to know just how effective the design really is. When in usable form the cone is completely unsupported from the bottom, so the buttons would have to be very responsive to keep the whole thing from caving in when you tap a button. But it is ultra-portable, so that will be enough to win over plenty of die-hard mouse enthusiasts.

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A real, immersive, believable virtual reality experience is kind of like the elusive pink unicorn of the gaming world: you can look for it all you want, but chances are you’ll never find it. An Austrian-based company called Cyberith may just turn out to be that unicorn. Its omni-directional VR locomotion platform is maybe the most comprehensive and and complete device of its kind to hit the market.

The Virtualizer is compatible with gaming devices like the Oculus Rift, Kinect, and Wii. Put on a head-mounted display and some surround-sound headphones, grab a motion-detecting controller, and strap yourself into the Virtualizer and you are more or less inside the virtual world.

The responsive Virtualizer platform lets you walk endlessly in 360 degrees by just leaning forward, backward, or to the side and walking naturally. Unlike a lot of comparable devices, though, the Virtualizer also recognizes your movements when you jump or sit. That means that when you take control of a tank, you can actually have a seat and drive the tank around.

Cyberith have added in the useful feature of haptic technology, which allows you to physically feel what’s happening around you in your game. If a grenade goes off near you, the system lets you feel it. Not in a violent or painful way, of course – just a big vibration to let you know that virtual danger is near.

The Virtualizer is definitely one of the most impressive immersive gaming experiences created to date, but there is still room for improvement. The company is already looking toward the future and planning to add functionality that can make the gaming experience even more real. But the Virtualizer is no one-trick pony; the company envisions it being used in virtual tours, training, and educational settings. As of the time of publication, the Kickstarter campaign was very near its funding goal, so soon your first person shooter games will get a whole lot more real. You can get your own starting at $749 before the Kickstarter campaign ends.

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