Hi all,
I have designed and made a prototype of a mouse pad mount for a Mini. It's an accessory toward the cup holder. Please images for clarity. I have been testing it for two months and works wonderfully. My phone is an android so I can connect my mouse. Basically, a handsfree from my phone when I need to select apps and other things. The mouse will not slide off when turning your vehicle on a normal turning force. Unless your at an AutoX. This works great since my hands most of the time are on the stick shift. Very discrete way to mess with your phone when stuck in traffic. Let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks in advance.

 

Seems like it would take concentration to use.

 

At first, I thought that until I tried the prototype. Do to my "Ultrathin mouse touch" the function is similar to the Lexus infotainment mouse pad controller. The ease of the mouse use feels a lot safer than reaching over to tap and scroll the phone. I don't encourage this but we all do it in the car discreetly. Here in California, if the police see you touching your phone you get pull over. A good example is my friend, who was checking her emails while stopped at the red light.

 

It would be the perfect accessory for a steering wheel computer tray:

A real product: (don't miss the answered questions)

 

If you are going to drive - then drive. If you are going to compute - then compute. Don't mix the two. Seems worse than texting. Computing or texting is illegal in most states and can kill you or me.

 

+1^^^ in the extreme. I composed a similar comment then deleted it thinking it was too crabby sounding.

 

You're not.

 

Have you considered the potential legal liability if this product was proven to contribute to an inattentive driving accident? Considering our highly litigious society, this would be a concern that may keep one awake at night.

 

There is a huge populous on our streets and highways entertaining the idea that they can 'multitask' even while operating a motor vehicle. This idea is an even huger fallacy. Multitasking should go absolutely no further than tapping your head and rubbing you tummy at the same time and neither one of those activities will succeed as well as just performing one or the other...and someone's life doesn't depend on it.

 

Yeah. I would nip that product in the bud. Unsafe and producing it will expose you to all kinds of potential liability.

 

Professional product designer here...

Liability is easily overcome with the correct warnings/waivers and the use of the product is the user's responsibility. Just like that desk posted earlier. It's funny to see a forum that is all about coding in things like removing the warning screens or TPMS but they get excited about something like this. Hell, Teslas come with a beast of a tablet as the dash capable of all kinds of shenanigans but we're not upset there. Personal responsibility is king...

I digress...

From a usefulness perspective, I'm not so sure. I'm working with a RasPi in my Mini (with a RaceCapture) and trying to build a joystick in the console like the stock one - better placement and not so ostentatious. Plus I'm afraid that a mouse would straight-up fly off that thing. I'd be more interested if it was a solid system (like a joystick or touchpad). Have you thought about trolling Alibaba for a touchpad that would fit in a similar rounded housing?

 

I worked as a product representative for an aircraft manufacturer for nearly thirty years and no amount of placards, warnings and "don't do this" stickers will give you imunity if and when you go to trial. Judges and juries are not benevolent when a plaintiff is sitting there in a state of fubar because a product you represent is blamed for their fubaredness. Designing a product is one thing, defending it in a court of law is another. I can cite dozens of lawsuits against us where the plaintiff flat screwed up by disregarding posted warnings and limitations and we still lost the case. Then we spent millions developing a preventive solution to hopefully reduce the possibility of a redo. Good luck.

 

+1 A fine example: A man bought a brand new aircraft (from the same Co. Buzzsaw worked for). He flew it home. Upon arrival at his home field he requested from approach control permission to make an inverted low level pass over the main runway. The tower granted permission for a low level pass, inverted flight at pilot's discretion. He flew over the field, rotated into inverted configuration and flew it into the ground. His family sued the manufacturer...and won. A direct result, including the rise in cost of avgas for the outrageous rise in cost of civil aviation, added funding for further litigation.

 

Interesting enough on that case, the aircraft was not certified for aerobatic flight and stated so boldy in the aircraft's POH (pilot's operating handbook). The pilot also was not trained in aerobatics. But an experienced attorney for the plaintiff showed the court the fubar photos of the pilot and the aircraft at the scene of the accident. All the placards and gotcha stickers in the history of the printed word were futile. Judgement for the plaintiff. The rest was history.. Good luck.

 

Hi Everyone,
Thank you for all the comments. All are valid and noted.
@ I FORGE KC: As an I.D. myself, we are on a similar same page. Yes, I have thought about touchpad for this.

 

If you want to build a product to be able to use phone, tablet, etc in a car it needs to be 100% voice activated.. I wish they would make that a country wide law ASAP... Some folks can't keep it in their lane with 2 hands on the wheel much less while fingering their phone....

 

↑ This.