A comfortable, ergonomic mouse is vital for hardcore and professional gamers, and can be just as important to workers and creatives who spend hours using one. Now, a company called Formify has taken a well-fitting form factor to the next level with 3D-printed mice that are customized to fit each individual’s hand.
You would first send a picture of your hand, palm up and fingers slightly splayed, to the company, which the company then analyzes using an AI to record your hand’s shape, size, finger width and length, and more. The mouse is shaped and created based on that same hand data and uses HP’s Multi-Jet Fusion (MJF) technology to construct the mouse. It basically uses thin layers of resin powder that are treated and then heated to layer them. Users can also choose between five different grip textures that are added during the process.
Not only are these mice ergonomic, but come with some impressive specs too. The mice are equipped with Kailh GM 8.0 micro switches, 26,000 DPI optical sensor with a tracking speed of 650 inches per second, and a charge that lasts for two weeks at a time. Suffice to say, this mouse just might be as premium as the best gaming mouse from industry heavyweights like Razer, SteelSeries, and Logitech.
Formify has taken its project to Kickstarter in order to crowdfund its mice-making dream, in which the company seeks to raise about $30,000 in just over 32 days. So far it’s made almost $9,000 at the time of this writing. The lowest price backers can pay for the mouse is $142, but the price can go as high as $179 when it ships in December 2023.
The perfect target audience
If this Kickstarter proves successful and the project moves to completion, this could be an incredibly useful resource for those with disabilities. Microsoft has already launched its own 3D-printed customizable adaptive controllers, and Sony announced its own PS5 version of the same in January 2023. There’s definitely a market for it, and Formify’s version could end up being a boon for those who have special needs regarding a comfortable mouse.
There’s another market that these controllers could target, one that’s sizable but often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to ergonomic gaming or productivity mice: left-handed people.
Left-handed users could finally enjoy benefits similar to the best mice on the market that are all too often made with only right-handed people in mind, and it wouldn’t cost much more than many of those, while completely conforming to their grip style and hand shape and size. This is definitely one Kickstarter I’d love to see succeed.
