The optical mouse’s assembly keeps everything (sensor, lens, and clip) spaced appropriately for good optics, so many mouse hacks are built around this platform. This is simply because it’s the optical sensor that brings value and interest to so many projects. But pointing devices aren’t the only way to use the sensors, of course. In forums like Reddit or even Quora, you’ll occasionally run across a conversation about all the possible uses of mouse innards, usually (if not always) including a few brain dumps around the idea of 2-D micropositioning.
Micropositioning systems, or, more specifically, the guidance portion of those systems, can largely be supplied by the components of an optical mouse since that’s basically what an optical mouse is for. Commercial systems are typically limited to a resolution of roughly 0.1 µm. Since a 1600 dpi gaming mouse sensor has a resolution of around 16 µm, the average mouse might not be up to the task of serious micropositioning, but they’re getting there. Logitech’s HERO sensor operates at 25,600 dpi resolution, which is just under 1 µm. Of note is the fact that 25,000 dpi is just over 1 µm, so the extra 600 dpi was probably a marketing department demand.
The industrial 0.1 µm limitation isn’t a limitation of the actual movement mechanism, amazingly, but stems from friction introduced by the guidance bit. So cheap optical sensors might never make the leap — unless we make some sort of magical leap in our understanding of advanced sensor science.
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