With rumors going around that Apple will introduce new Mighty Mouse with multitouch detection technology, Microsoft today jumped the gun and showcased incredibly wild multitouch mouse prototypes developed by their research department. However, the five mice shown are still in early prototype and there is now information if any will come to the market.

The five mice shown by Microsoft Research are FTIR, Orb, Cap, Arty and Side Mouse. The FTIR mouse has semi-transparent surface and it relies on an internal camera to sense multitouch input. The Orb has round surface and uses IR camera for multitouch detection. Cap Mouse has a capacitive touch surface for detection of input. Arty is a crazy looking mouse with two articulated arms for thumb and index finger. Both the arms have optical sensor for gesture control. The last mouse in the line is Side Mouse that has no buttons but detects finger touching the table immediately in front of the palm to get input information.

We have added a video posted by Engadget below showcasing the five mice in action. Microsoft released information about the five mice prototypes to make sure that Apple doesn’t takeaway all the limelight when they start shipping the multitouch Mighty Mouse. But the difference between the two companies is that Apple will be shipping a product in few days, while Microsoft is still showcasing prototypes.