Welcome back to Input Origins, your monthly deep dive into the wild, weird, and wonderful world of how humans tell machines what to do.
Today, we’re rewinding to 1968—a year of cultural revolutions, moonshot dreams, and one unassuming hunk of wood on wheels that quietly started it all.
Source: William Brossard of Arti Machines
Enter: The Mouse. Not the squeaky kind. The mouse that debuted in what tech nerds, such as ourselves lovingly call "The Mother of All Demos".
A small wooden block on wheels with a single button. Beneath its humble exterior lay a revolutionary idea: a pointing device that could move a cursor across a screen, enabling users to interact with computers in a way that felt natural.
The mouse unlocked entirely new ways to create, navigate, and collaborate. It was the spark that ignited the graphical user interface, paving the way for everything from desktop icons to the touchscreens we use today.
"The Mother of All Demos"
It was a time when "cutting-edge" meant punch cards and blinking lights.
Now picture Douglas Engelbart, a human–computer interaction pioneer strolling into a packed auditorium. In a single presentation, Engelbart showcased interactive computing, video conferencing, hypertext, word processing, and—of course—the very first computer mouse.
It wasn’t just a demo, it was a mic drop. He unveiled a vision of the future so far ahead of its time it could’ve been sci-fi.
While the audience sat slack-jawed, Engelbart clicked and pointed his way into history, proving that computers could be more than oversized calculators. They could be tools for thought, collaboration, and creativity!
The Grandson of All Demos?
Okay, we’re no Douglas Engelbart and the title "The Mother of All Demos" is taken (rightly so), but we will still blow your mind!
At our booth, you can try Mudra-Link & Mudra Band, the world's first Neural Input Wristband that takes you past clicks, taps and touchscreens into a world controlled by gestures and neural signals.
So while we may not have invented the mouse, we are reimagining how you’ll interact with technology. Stop by our booth to see it in action, and maybe even tap your way into history with us!
Order your own Mudra Band or Mudra Link now!
