Design and Evaluation of a Handled Trackball as a Robust Interface in Motion.

In this study, a handled trackball was developed aiming at future use in a vibration environment within cockpits, ships, or other carriers. The study was to determine an optimal handle posture for the handled device from combinations of three forward slopes (0°, 15°, and 30°) and lateral slopes (0°, 15°, and 30°). The device was also compared with a table trackball for basic operation properties. An experimental cursor movement task was used to measure the response time of each design, accompanied by subjective fatigue and usability evaluations. The results found that the forward 30° and lateral 30° combination reached the top cursor movement performance without imposing undue fatigue to the operator. The study suggests using the forward 30° and lateral 30° handled trackball as the optimal design solution to maintain the performance when the operation of the trackball is under severe vibration environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]