Alimed Smart-NAV 4:EG Hands-Free Mouse Alternatives

The SmartNav 4: EG has allowed me to continue working as a software developer, despite having developed RSI in both wrists and forearms. Prior to purchasing the SmartNav device, I tried the Tobii EyeX eye-tracking device. Unfortunately, that technology is not yet accurate enough to be used as a mouse replacement.It took about two weeks to become comfortable with the SmartNav (and to find settings that made it work for me). I use it in combination with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, having mapped "tick" and "shay" to left mouse clicks. This setup works for mundane tasks, but the voice recognition component is too slow to use for gaming in real-time, so I am hoping to eventually try it in combination with a foot switch.I attached one of the infrared-readable dots to a pair of computer glasses (the kind that shield your eyes from harmful blue light), which greatly reduced my self-consciousness about being seen to use an assistive device at work.I love this device so much, having originally purchased it for use at work. Unfortunately, it is too delicate to risk transporting between work and home, and I am now faced with the prospect of having to purchase a second. Still not enough of a reason to dock it a star.

Pros: viable hands-free replacement for mouseCons: clip doesn't hold it on the top of the monitor very well (it could fall forward pretty easily), and using this a lot will definitely give y neck problemsPS: if you're considering buying the more expensive model for dwell clicking, just get this one and buy dwell clicker 2 independently--it's like $10 as opposed to the hundred dollar difference in price between the two models here

This product is not the SmartNav 4 EG as stated in the description. Buyer BEWARE this product is not what it says.The real one can be found here: http://naturalpoint.com/smartnav/store/catalog.html

The SmartNav 4:AT is an excellent hands-free mouse. I'm a computer scientist and use it all day long. Along with voice recognition, It allows me to use the computer often more efficiently than with a traditional mouse+keyboard setup. The support is very active on their forum in case you have any issue.How SmartNAV works:SmartNav uses an infrared (IR) camera to track your head movements. Learn more about the technology. You reflect IR light back to the SmartNav, which sends instructions to your computer to move your mouse cursor.HOW DOES THE TECHNOLOGY WORK? Infrared light is emitted from the LEDs and is reflected back to the imager by a corner cube reflector (3M safety material). This reflected light is imaged by a CMOS sensor and the video signal is passed to the preprocessing electronics. The video signal is thresholded against a reference level and all passing data is sent to the USB microcontroller to send to the PC for object tracking. In order to increase the signal to noise ratio an IR filter that passes only 800nm and above is placed between the imager lens and the outside world. The SmartNav can image any IR source; typically this is reflective material or an active IR source such as an LED. A user may track many different objects by placing reflective dots or LEDs on the object. The SmartNav has a 45 degree field of view and anything being tracked must stay in that field of view.HOW IS MY HEAD MOVEMENT TRACKED? SmartNav tracks reflections from a tiny dot, which you can place anywhere.Place our paper thin tiny reflective dot on the part of your body you'd like to control the cursor with. Preferred options include: Head Hand Hat Glasses Mic Boom You can also make your own reflective marker with NaturalPoint's high-quality tracking material available on our Accessories page.WHERE DO I PUT THE SMARTNAV? SmartNav mounts on top of your monitor, laptop or communication device facing you. SmartNav can also be threaded onto a mini tripod and sit next to your computer. The device can be placed anywhere as long as it can see the reflective accessory you've chosen to wear.HOW MUCH DO I MOVE? Less than an inch of head movement is more than enough to move the cursor across your entire screen. This is also adjustable in the software SPEED settings. SmartNav has a 45 degree Field of View (FOV), and usually sits about 2 feet away from your head. Thus you have almost two feet of free "head space" in which to move that simple inch.HOW DO I CLICK? SmartNav offers multiple clicking options. Hotkeys: Re-map keys from your keyboard and assign them to emulate the Left, Right and Middle mouse buttons. Dwell-Clicking Software: Click by hovering the cursor in one spot for a small (and adjustable) amount of time. A full dwell-clicking system and on-screen keyboard are included in the AT software package, allowing for total hands free operation. Ability Switches: Industry standard input switch support allows you to plug two click switches into SmartNav for more clicking options. Choose from our full selection of hand and foot switches on our Accessories page.I wrote an article about it exploring other solutions: francky.me/publications.php#mouse2012

This is not the SmartNav 4 EG....BUYERS BEWARE!!!!!