The First Vertical Mouse Arrives | Generated by AI
The vertical mouse was invented in 1994.
The first commercially available vertical mouse is widely credited to Jack Lo (a Canadian inventor) with the ErgoMouse (also sometimes called the “Handshake Mouse”). It was patented in the early 1990s and released in 1994 by a company called Hobar Tech (later known as Evoluent).
Key milestones
- 1992–1994: Jack Lo files patents for a vertical computer mouse designed to keep the hand in a neutral “handshake” position to reduce wrist pronation and strain.
- 1994: The first vertical mouse hits the market under the name ErgoMouse.
- 2002: Evoluent releases the Evoluent VerticalMouse (version 1), which becomes one of the most popular and long-lasting vertical mouse designs still sold today (now in version 4/5).
Before these, there were some earlier ergonomic experiments (e.g., tilted or angled mice in the late 1980s/early 1990s), but the true upright/vertical design that keeps the forearm in neutral position started with Jack Lo’s 1994 ErgoMouse.
So the short answer: 1994.