For some time now, it has been possible to find products that pack an entire computer into the volume of a USB stick or an HDMI dongle. If miniaturization has reached this point, why not place computers inside other accessories? That is exactly what Mouse-Box aims to do—a concept that fuses the computer with a mouse.
A computer inside a keyboard is one of the oldest ideas in computing. All home systems of yesteryear adopted that format, which stuck around for decades. Over time, combined with several evolutionary leaps in hardware, integrated computers became limited to very niche markets. However, thanks to recent optimizations in miniaturization and power consumption, we are seeing some very interesting ideas. You don't have to search far to find projects that put a Raspberry Pi inside a keyboard. There have also been various dongles with HDMI connectors that take advantage of modern TVs. And now comes Mouse-Box, a concept of a computer integrated into a mouse.
Specifications and Design
This Polish development seeks to create a system with an ARM quad-core SoC at 1.4 GHz, 128 gigabytes of Flash storage, two USB 3.0 ports, WiFi n, a micro HDMI port to connect it to a monitor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a battery as an optional element. If a battery is included, the Mouse-Box could be accompanied by a special mousepad that recharges it via induction as you use it. The use of an ARM SoC obviously limits compatibility to Linux platforms, but this is a concept, and the final hardware configuration could change without notice (what we see as a motherboard is just a visual reference, nothing more).
In essence, what the creators of Mouse-Box must avoid is having more than one cable coming out of the mouse. The micro HDMI port should handle both audio and video, and when connecting a keyboard, a simple wireless sensor in one of the front USB ports should be enough. Still, there is a lot of speculation here. Apparently, Mouse-Box is looking for partners to help bring it to market, and crowdfunding is also a possibility.
