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ITAC Systems Introduces NEMA 4 / IP66 Precision
Computer Input Devices for Extreme
Environments
At the heart of the new HAND-TRAK devices is ITAC’s Gestural Input Engine™ technology. It allows the HAND-TRAK to be a completely sealed product with no moving parts. Since it is a sealed device, the HAND-TRAK is not affected by external factors such as dust or debris, while the lack of moving parts means that there is nothing to wear-out or break.
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Panel mount HAND-TRAK ready for
mounting. |
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HAND-TRAK mounted in a panel. |
The new HAND-TRAK devices are
significantly more rugged than industrial-strength trackballs and offer better
precision and control than sealed touchpads, encoder disks, or joysticks. The user simply moves a hand or finger over
the surface of the HAND-TRAK to communicate the desired direction, speed, and
distance of cursor movement.
Don Bynum, president of ITAC
Systems, states, “These devices are suited for extremely dirty environments,
such as a mine or a paper mill, as well as in-the-field military applications,
where off-the-shelf input devices are prone to fail at critical moments. Unlike the competing sealed input devices we
have analyzed, no compromises are made on the precision of control offered by
HAND-TRAK.”
In addition to being sealed against
the dirt, dust, and most liquids typically found in many manufacturing
environments, the new HAND-TRAK will successfully operate in situations where
vibration or high G-forces may cause a cursor to wander off its placement. When a cursor is placed using the HAND-TRAK,
it stays where placed despite external vibration or movement of the device
itself.
The panel mount HAND-TRAK
interfaces with the host computer like a commodity three-button mouse. A fourth button, opposite the middle button,
provides a drag feature. And, like all
of ITAC’s products, these new devices offer easy installation -- simply plug
them in. No special software drivers are
required since they work with the drivers that come with standard operating
systems.
Priced at $225 (end-user,
quantity-one pricing), HAND-TRAKs are well below the cost of other (NEMA 4 /
IP66) ruggedized input devices on the market, while offering more responsive
and precise control. OEM pricing is
available upon request.
The HAND-TRAK interoperates with the
ITAC Systems MOUSE-TRAK® trackballs, but with a much smaller
footprint.
Members of the media are invited to evaluate HAND-TRAK products by contacting Jim McKinney at 972-494-3073 or via e-mail at jim@itacsystems.com. Downloadable .tif images of these products are available at http://www.itacsystems.com/HTPMshots.
ITAC Systems, Inc.
(http://www.itacsystems.com), designs, manufactures, and markets
high-reliability computer input devices for use in harsh environments with
critical applications.
# # #
MOUSE-TRAK is a trademark of ITAC Systems, Inc.,
registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
HAND-TRAK and Gestural Input Engine are trademarks of
ITAC Systems, Inc.
Other names may be the trademarks of their respective companies.