Suggested Applications for an Eye Tracking System?

[fresheStF]

I've just been assigned a project for school and I want to see what consumers demand. My task is to use the TM4 Eye Tracker to meet any kind of demand. Whether it be as simple as improving an aspect of the software provided with it or as complex as interfacing with the real world (control a robotic arm, turn a TV on, etc), I'd like to know what people want. Could it have military applications? Assist a quadriplegic? The possibilities are endless. The question is, which would help the most people?

For more information on the TM4 Tracker, check out this website:

http://www.eyetechds.com/assistive-technology/tm4

 

[daddles]

Why don't you write a précis of exactly what this device is, how it works, and why I'd want to use it. The web page was quite uninformative. I suggest if you want some good feedback, don't assume we know what it is you're talking about. I had a different vision of a device in mind when I read your post.

 

[fresheStF]

An introduction from the EyeTech Digitial Systems Hardware Manual:

"TM4 is a powerful tool, which gives complete access to computers. Our philosophy in designing this product was to give you the ability to operate a computer using only your eyes. With the EyeTech system and an on-screen keyboard you are able to:
-Communicate
-Access Windows menus, scroll bars, icons, and buttons
-Surf the Web
-Create sketches & CAD drawings with design software
-Perform any other task that requires a mouse"

How it works (also from the manual):

The EyeTech system uses IR lights to illuminate the eyes and provide reference points for the eye tracker. Incandescent lights or windows may degrade the operation of TM4, especially if the light source is behind the monitor or behind the user.

For the complete manual visit: http://www.eyetechds.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/TM4_Hardware_Manual1.pdf

For a brief video demonstration visit:

The EyeTech system comes complete with QuickGlance Software, which appears to be pretty well rounded, accounting for many different actions you'd expect from a mouse and keyboard.

 

[daddles]

OK, the video gives an introduction to what it is (I only watched it for about a minute).

You ought to tell what the thing costs to get set up on your computer. I'd imagine it's not terribly cheap.

Who is this thing aimed at? I suspect it would be of interest to people with repetitive motion injuries that preclude mouse/keyboard use or disabled people. I doubt many people who use a keyboard/mouse would be interested in using it. If this is true, then you've got a harder problem -- how do you get in contact with a goodly chunk of that injured/disabled population?

 

[fresheStF]

You're correct. It's not cheap. It's in the ball park of $7,000. I agree, it's mostly aimed at disabled people. As I mentioned before, for those suffering from quadriplegia (paralysis resulting in the partial or total loss of use of all their limbs and torso), this would be life changing. The first $7,000 they spend isn't going to be on a car. It's going to be on an eye tracker (or whatever I can design to improve their quality of life). Perhaps it would even be covered under their insurance. However, I want to further its capability.

Eye tracking can apply to even more than disabilities. It's currently used in heads-up displays (HUD) for military aircraft. It's far more advanced, but still within the scope of my project.

All in all, I'm just looking for better uses of this technology, regardless of the price or who it was designed to target.

 

[daddles]

It would be fun to blue-sky the uses of such a device. The use to help quadriplegics is obvious, but there could be lots of others depending on the capabilities of the device (which, I suspect, is pretty limited). For example, one use could be a nanny in a car to monitor the driver. Perhaps inattention or sleepiness could be determined.

I'd love to have something like that to control the input to an OCR device (I often need data from scanned things, but a regular OCR tool either gets too much or doesn't work right.

I could also see it being used to e.g. control a process that displays the process' state on the screen in a bunch of dials.

Of course, there's also the canonical use of monitoring how people visually scan documents and pictures (IIRC, there's been quite a bit of research on such things).

Perhaps an artist could use it to e.g. help with doing a sculpting task to control some tool that cuts the raw material.

Keep us informed on what ideas you uncover...