Russian start-up Knuckles-5 has developed a fully one-handed controller for drones and video games that will make its official debut next month at CES 2021.
The company has been created by “People who are crazy enough to make impossible things, and professional enough to make it well.”
The two traditional joysticks are replaced by two trackballs – one is moved by the index finger, while the other is moved by the thumb.
Each trackball controls the drone along two axes of movement. Another two axes are controlled by a thumb-activated mini joystick, while a further two are controlled by an IMU (inertial measurement unit) that detects the direction in which the controller is being tilted.
In total the device gives control over eight axes of movement.
A small LCD screen on top of the device displays drone data such as battery charge level.
Four customisable pushbuttons and three switches – the two trackballs also double as buttons – deliver additional functionality.
8 axes
- Each trackball has 2 axes (the 2 trackballs have 4 axes in total)
- The additional small joystick also has2 axes and
- the gyro-accel sensor adds virtual axes
15 buttons
- 3 circle-shaped buttons are on the front pane of the controller.
- 2 trackballs can be used as buttons as well.
- Each position of the switch can be also a button. So, 3 switches x 3 positions</strong> = 9 buttons.
- Plus a shift-button which can give a second mode to each button and switch.
All in all that makes 3+2+9+1=15 buttons
Using GUI you can transform each button into a value of additional virtual axis. Or transform each axis into 2 buttons. This technically means that there are 19 possible axes or 40 different buttons available with custom setup.
Source: Website