Laptop Prototype Uses Eye and Keyboard Combi Control For Fast Input With Windows 8

[qubit]

c|net has tried out a laptop prototype from Tobii at the Consumer Electronics Show, that can be controlled with the eyes - and it works. The reporter, Rafe Needleman, was initially sceptical, as the eyes are only designed for input not output, but it turned out to be very fast and intuitive for him. It works by having the user press the Windows key, look at a tile and then release the key to activate the tile. The use of the keypress prevents one's eyes, which tend to dart around in normal use, from scrambling input to the laptop. As the user's gaze darts over the screen, the system gives an indication as to which tile is currently selected by the user's gaze to ensure accurate tile selection by the user.

To achieve this feat, the modified laptop uses two infra red emitters and two special IR cameras along the Windows 8 customer preview released a while back. They use "the reflective point of the retina, plus the glint off the cornea" Rafe was told. From this, the computer builds a 3D model of the user's gaze to work out where they are looking on the screen. Rafe concluded, "I did not expect to like it, but I did. It is intuitive to use, and very fast. Tobii has done a good job of making your glances into workable input signals."



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[mediasorcerer]

Sounds like fascinating technology,. probably the tip of the ice berg as far as whats really been developed behind closed doors, gives me the shivers a bit too though all this tech and what it may end up being used for?

 

[Mussels]

sounds great, but i bet it wont work for users who use glasses or contacts

 

[D4S4]

i don't see why it wouldn't work for someone with contacts but glasses are a different ball game.

imagine using this for shooters - instaheadshots all over the place

 

[Mussels]

i don't see why it wouldn't work for someone with contacts but glasses are a different ball game.

imagine using this for shooters - instaheadshots all over the place

its catching reflections from your eye. the contacts would change the angle/direction its reflects.

 

[D4S4]

the contacts effectively become your cornea, the cameras don't really give a crap whether the light is reflecting of your real cornea or the contact.