The Adapta Mouse Looks Like a Smurf's Hat

This design is actually supposed to be good for your hand, wrist and forearm even though it looks like it was dropped by a Smurf.

Designer Ryo Yoshimi has created a working desktop mouse that looks more like a Smurf's white hat than anything you'd see on Best Buy and Walmart store shelves. That's because it was designed using feedback obtained from orthopedic doctors and user research. While looking extremely odd, it's apparently better for your hand and wrist thanks to its grip-based joystick-esque design.

According to Yoshimi, he studied various forms of the grip shape for years before tackling the current project. Basing his designs from various samples and taking apart mice obtained from retail shelves, he created over 100 prototypes using clay and Styrofoam before finalizing the current design.

When placed in a hand, the Adapta mouse doesn't look all that unnatural, with the upper portion of the peripheral curving over the user's thumb like a little make-shift shelter blocking office elements (like coffee, sneezing, etc). The ergonomic design even allows the forearm to remain in a relaxed position, thus reducing tension on the upper extremity.

So where are the two buttons? On the back of the "hat" where the other four fingers rest, stretching from the top to bottom. Both buttons consist of a click switch, a plastic board, and a layer of white silicon on top. There's even a multi-touch sensor which can detect the thumb's position under or above the "fold."

For additional details, check out the Adapta mouse by heading here. Yoshimi's design is a 2011 James Dyson Award Entry... but it still looks like a Smurf's hat.