From Start to Finish: Creating a Professional-Looking Space Mouse

If you've never heard of a space mouse, the term probably caused some laughter. A space mouse is an input device like a mouse, but instead of dragging it across a surface, it works more like a 3D point in space. You will usually use it in a 3D program, like CAD. This lets you rotate, tilt, and lift objects in 3D space. It's really hard to explain, but you'll see it in action in the video.

If you think for a moment about how you would measure all these different 3D angles, it might seem like you would need an overwhelming amount of buttons and sensors. Fortunately, Salim Benbouziyane shows us that all you really need is a stack of magnets, a 3-axis magnetometer, the rp2040, and a fair amount of engineering skill.

Not only did he make this device fully functional, a feat in itself, but he made it beautiful.