Munich  - Microsoft has revealed a sample of its vision for the computer mice of the future.

Five prototypes were on display at a recent conference in Canada, all based around the concept of touch-sensitive displays. One was dubbed the Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR) Mouse and featured an arching acrylic surface, the company reports. The user touches the curved surface to activate an infrared light which is then read out by a special camera.

The semi-spherical Orb Mouse also uses a camera to register infrared light. The Cap Mouse, by contrast, uses electrodes under the surface of the casing to determine the position of the fingers. The Side Mouse lies under the user's palm and allows for the fingers to touch the surface of the table beneath the mouse. It then recognises the position of the user's fingers, which allows for "more wide reaching" hand movements or even control movements using two hands.

The Arty Mouse is an advancement on the Side Mouse, with surfaces for thumb and pointer finger. An extra-sensitive sensor can pick up even the minutest movement and translate it into movement of the pointer on the monitor. All five mice were developed in-house by Microsoft. The company gave no indication of when, in what form, and for what price the devices will be available in stores. (dpa)