Of Mice and Light

These days, no one is surprised any more about a mouse without a ball, although optical mice have been around for only a few years. Meanwhile, optical sensors have evolved to the point where they can easily compete with the accuracy of a mechanical assembly. In fact, they are often even more accurate and react quicker.Nowadays a personal computer without a mouse is practically unimaginable. So many operations are carried out with the mouse that using Windows, for example, with the keyboard only is next to impossible, because you are constantly moving over a graphical desktop. That the (optical) mouse has become an essential part of any modern PC is confirmed by the large numbers sold. The largest manufacturer of optical mouse sensors, Agilent (the former component division of HP), has sold more than 200 million units since the introduction of the first sensor in 1999!