Martin Tall has developed a prototype called the NeoVisus Gaze that enables handsfree control of computers.
The unit sits below the monitor and works by firing two infrared beams at your eyes which are imperceptible as humans cannot see infrared light. A camera monitors tiny reflections that bounce of the eyes in order to perceive where on the screen you are looking.
It the video below, the system looks well advanced with accurate tracking and excellent responsiveness.
Tall has written various software applications designed exclusively for use with the NeoVisus Gaze that aid in navigation and selection of items on the screen including a number of typing applications. One of these has the user drag individual letters with their eyes to a text box to construct sentences. He theorises that amateur typists tend to check each entry made by a keystroke and this method would combine input and confirmation, making for faster data entry.
Tall has also developed a way to incorporate eye blinking into the software, using it as a navigation function to return to an original view.
Can it tell natural blinking from navigation blinking? How about eye strain and fatigue? And how do you keep from clicking on things you don’t mean to, like reading an ad in a web browser for example. How about when you stare at the screen as you stop to think….or is that just me?
Despite these questions, the technology looks very promising and could one day go head to head with the soon to be ubiquitous touch-screen displays.
Sources:
Engadget
Martin Tall’s Blog