New Origami-Inspired Mouse Folds Into a Flat Shape for Travel
A Kickstarter project out of Hong Kong, the Air.o mouse is designed to take on the shape of a full-size mouse when assembled, and nearly disappear into one’s bag when flattened. When operational, the mouse takes on a sort of hoof design, with a rounded front and an open pleat running lengthwise against the palm. This pleat is what allows the Air.o to flatten into a 4.5-millimeter panel, which can then slip into a laptop carrier, purse, or pocket without adding annoying bulk. (One small portion of the mouse that houses its optical sensor and Bluetooth hardware extends to 10 millimeters, but even that is hardly wider than your average ballpoint pen.) At only 40 grams, the mouse adds such little weight to one’s travel setup that it virtually goes unnoticed.
If it’s been a while since you’ve tackled the art of origami, don’t worry—you don’t need any crafty folding skills to prep the Air.o for use. Squeezing the sides of the flattened Air.o pushes it into its mouse formation, while a small but mighty magnet holds everything together. Dissembling the Air.o is said to be as easy as undoing the magnet and pushing down on the mouse to turn it into a geometric pancake. According to Air.o, the mouse’s vegan leather (AKA plastic) skin will retain its integrity even after being manipulated again and again. It’ll even survive nasty falls onto hard surfaces if Air.o’s Kickstarter page is anything to go off of.
For those who enjoy the “digital nomad” lifestyle but hate using a trackpad, the Air.o could be a game-changer. There are plenty of lightweight Bluetooth computer mice on the market these days, but none of them flatten into something that could pass as a bookmark in a pinch. Air.o’s Kickstarter page says the team elected to make a full-size mouse to avoid the fatigue that comes with using a mini mouse—a tiny (and frankly irritating to use) device that often ends up being added to people’s go bags for lack of better options.
As with any other Kickstarter campaign, there’s no saying whether the Air.o will ever make it to adopters’ bags and pockets (though this campaign in particular has surpassed its fundraising goal by a long shot, so there’s hope). It’s also difficult to say exactly how easy the Air.o is to use for long periods of time; the mouse’s design, though clever, might be uncomfortable for some. At only $49 USD per mouse, however, the Air.o does appear to be worth trying, if only to impress the people sitting near you at a cafe or on your next flight.
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