The 4-zone FSR® HDK (Hardware Development Kit) is the perfect tool to evaluate this unique mouse pointing solution. The 4-zone FSR HDK provides all the necessary components to understand and evaluate how to implement accurate 360-degree mouse control. Users can experience how to control direction by applying pressure in the direction of the desired movement and adjust speed by altering the amount of pressure on the device. The 4-zone technology uses the same robust polymer thick film (PTF) sensor technology as our range of single-zone sensors, but in a unique 4-zone configuration. The 4-zone FSR is simply a combination of four basic FSRs arranged in a north, south, east, west pattern. Each zone interpenetrates into the two zones on either side of it. This overlapping of the zones allows us to determine how much force is in each zone relative to the others. Once the relative force in each zone is known, the direction and speed of the mouse pointer can be determined. The actuator design is vital to the correct operation of the 4-zone FSR. These sensors require a micro-controller containing our proprietary measurement algorithms.
The 4-zone FSR HDK includes a fully functioning demo module which can be easily connected to a PC for evaluation. It also contains additional sensors and programmed micro-controllers as well as full product integration documentation.