> Eye-catching, but will it catch on?
- 26 Mar 07, 03:15 PM
On the BBC’s technology programme Click a company called Tobii, showcased their eye-tracking computer and software.
The system tracks eye movements on the screen and by pausing or by blinking, the user can activate buttons, and so on. This has obvious applications for certain user groups that have problems using a mouse. But what makes this really interesting is that Tobii are not specifically targeting the disability marketplace. John Elvesjo, speaking for Tobii claims that, “Eye-tracking will replace the mouse because it is so much faster than reaching out for the mouse.”
There are obvious commercial reasons why Tobii would want to pitch their eye-tracking products as a mainstream device rather than as a tool for an altogether smaller group of users. However, if it does catch on with everyone, that should help keep costs down – one of the major issues with specialist devices. Will it catch on? Well, that’s really hard to say without having a play with it – but it does look sufficiently interesting for me to want to have a play with it, though.
It could be the latest in a growing series of devices aimed at the popular market, but with obvious applications for certain user groups. We already have speech recognition software targeted at those too lazy to type, but great for those who find typing difficult. And Wayfinder’s Navigator is a GPS system for mobile phones to help pedestrians get to where they want to be that has been adapted and branded as Wayfinder Access to provide extra help and be a genuinely useful tool for the visually impaired.
Click are running a poll on their website, so if you think Tobii’s eye-tracking software will become a huge success story, you can vote for it there, as well as see video of three other companies hoping to make it big with their innovative products.
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