We have seen quite many eye controllers in the recent past that do a fantastic job controlling devices by just tracking eye movement of the user. However, all of them require the purchase of an additional accessory that come for a steep price. To combat that, a group of former PhD students in Copenhagen plan to make the eye tracker a standard feature in tablets and smart phones that would not require the purchase of additional equipment.
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| Eye tracking software (source: NPR) |
The Eye Tribe is a company that has built a technology that would use the built in front facing camera of a mobile device to track eye movement of the user. Basically, an infrared beam would be projected towards the face, and reflected in the user’s pupil. The Eye Tribe’s sophisticated algorithms are able to determine where the user is looking, and use their eye movement to perform tasks on the mobile device.
The idea is to mass market this technology, bringing it to not just people with disabilities, but every consumer in the market. The only issue right now is that use of this technology (for mass marketing) would require modifying the camera on mobile devices, and The Eye Tribe is in talks with major manufacturers to see how this can be achieved. The first device with this technology built in expected to hit sometime in 2013.
This video demonstrates a regular Windows 8 tablet being controlled just with the eyes!
Source: NPR