Glossary

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Microswitch(also: Micro-switch, Assistive Switch)

A small, sensitive switch used in assistive technology that can be activated by minimal physical movement such as a light touch, head turn, or muscle contraction. Microswitches are used to provide environmental control and communication access for people with severe motor…

Mid-Air Gesture(also: In-Air Gesture, Free-Space Gesture)

A hand or arm movement performed in three-dimensional space, away from any surface, that is recognized by sensors as a command input. Mid-air gestures can be detected using cameras, depth sensors, or inertial measurement units in wearable devices like smartwatches. In…

Midas Touch Problem(also: Midas Touch Effect)

The Midas Touch problem is a well-known challenge in gaze-based and dwell-time-based computer interfaces where everything the user looks at or pauses the cursor over is interpreted as a selection command. Named after King Midas who turned everything he touched to gold, the…

Motion Sensor(also: Motion Detection, Gesture Sensor)

A device that detects physical movement in its environment, often by tracking body position, joint angles, or gestures. In accessibility and assistive technology, motion sensors enable touchless interaction, gesture-based interfaces, and movement-tracking rehabilitation systems.…

Motor Imagery(also: MI, Mental Practice, Imagined Movement)

The mental rehearsal or imagination of physical movement without actual motor execution. In brain-computer interfaces, motor imagery typically involves imagining left-hand or right-hand movements, which produce distinct patterns in the sensorimotor cortex that can be detected…

Mouse(also: Computer Mouse, Optical Mouse)

A mouse is a hand-operated pointing device that translates relative motion across a flat surface into movement of an on-screen cursor, with one or more buttons and usually a scroll wheel for selection and additional commands. It is the dominant pointing device for desktop…

Mouse Pointer(also: Cursor, Screen Pointer, Onscreen Pointer)

The small graphical indicator on a computer screen that represents the position of a pointing device such as a mouse, trackpad, or stylus. The mouse pointer is used to identify and interact with interface elements in graphical user interfaces through pointing, clicking, and…

Mouth Interface(also: Mouth-operated interface, Mouth-based input)

An input modality that uses mouth movements - tongue position, cheek puffs, jaw motion, lip gestures, breath, or sip-and-puff - to control a computer, wheelchair, or XR system. Mouth interfaces serve people with limited upper-limb mobility (e.g., spinal cord injury, muscular…

Multimodal Input(also: Multimodal Interaction, Multi-modal Input)

An interaction approach that allows users to communicate with computing devices or systems through multiple input channels — such as touch, voice, eye gaze, head movement, facial expressions, hand gestures, brain-computer interfaces, and biometrics — either simultaneously or…

Multimodal Text Editing(also: Multimodal Editing)

A text editing approach that combines multiple input modalities—such as gestures, voice commands, and touch—to enable more efficient and accessible text correction. For users with disabilities, multimodal editing can reduce reliance on any single input method, allowing each…

Multitouch Surface(also: Multi-Touch Interface, Multitouch Interface, MTS)

A multitouch surface is an input device that uses optical or capacitive sensors to detect and track multiple simultaneous finger contacts on a flat surface. Unlike conventional touchpads that rely on a single finger for functionality, multitouch surfaces can recognize complex…

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