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The computer mouse has had a good run.

But almost 70 years since the design was first patented, it is now under threat from a smart 'thimble'. 

The wearable 3D Touch device is fitted with an accelerometer and gyroscope, and lets people control an onscreen mouse using just a wave of their finger. 

The 3D Touch device (pictured) is fitted with an accelerometer and gyroscope, and lets people control an onscreen mouse using a wave of their finger. The intelligent device was created by Anh Nguyen and Amy Banic from the University of Wyoming in Laramie

The intelligent gadget was created by Anh Nguyen and Amy Banic from the University of Wyoming in Laramie. 

It uses a 3D accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope to orientate where the mouse should be.

The device also uses optical flow sensors to track movement against a 2D surface.

A button between the forefinger and thumb is used in place of the left-click button on a standard mouse.

The device also uses optical flow sensors to track movement against a 2D surface (pictured). All of this location data is streamed to a laptop and is used to move the cursor, it can also be used with touchscreen-style gestures such as double tap and long press

All of this location data is streamed to a laptop and is used to move the cursor, it can also be used with touchscreen-style gestures such as double tap and long press.

By combining data from all of the sensors, the 3DTouch can more accurately determine the location on the screen, and the researchers claim it can be used to move a 3D object with a positioning error of only about 1 mm.

And having more than one 3DTouch on different fingers allows for multi-touch gestures. 

The smart thimble that could spell the end of the mouse

By combining data from all of the sensors, the 3DTouch can accurately determine the location on the screen, and the researchers claim it can be used to move objects with a positioning error of only 1mm. A button between the forefinger and thumb (pictured) is used in place of the left-click button on a standard mouse

The original mouse prototype was patented in 1947. It is now widely used with PCs and Macs (pictured)

Currently, the device is wired to an Arduino controller that records the sensor data, and this is then streamed to a laptop. 

The researchers are working on developing the technology so it can be used wirelessly.

'3DTouch enables users to user their fingers or thumb as a 3D input device with the capability of performing 3D selection translation, and rotation,' explained the researchers. 

'[It] is designed to fill the missing gap of a 3D input device that is self-contained, mobile, and universally working across various 3D platforms.

'This presents a low-cost solution to designing and implementing such a device.

Modular solutions like 3DTouch opens up a whole new design space for interaction techniques to further develop on.

'With 3DTouch, we attempted to bring 3D interaction and applications a step closer to users in everyday life.'

THE APP THAT TURNS HAND GESTURES INTO MUSIC

The Muse app works alongside a small USB device called the Leap Motion Controller (pictured) and lets people create music using hand gestures while they sit in front of their computer

It takes hours of practice and years of experience to become a piano virtuoso or a concert violinist.

But a new app, that works alongside a small USB device lets people create music using hand gestures while they sit in front of their computer.

Users can move their hands and fingers in mid-air, which the clever little device beneath translates into motion and then a variety of sounds that can be layered up to make tunes.

The innovation is described by the app's creators as 'a new expressive musical instrument'.

U.S. based computer sensor manufacturer, Leap Motion, has turned its attention to electronic music by enabling its hands-free controller to work alongside the Mac desktop app called Muse.

People can use the Leap Motion Controller, which costs €89 (£74; $79) to make their own ambient music.

The technology, which is slightly larger than a cigarette lighter, tracks the points of fingers using three infrared LEDs and two image sensors to follow movement around 200 times more precisely than Microsoft's original Kinect sensor.