Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities. - ATIA, 2021.
I choose to explore more assistive technology based on eye-tracking. It's interesting how some device or specific software is made for as small and precise moved as eye-movement.
According to assistive technology oriented company Boundless this kind of high-technology is based on the head tracking and eye control systems that measure head or eye positions and directly translate their movement into mouse movements. A quick nod of the head or blink of the eye and individuals with mobility challenges can navigate a computer completely hands free.
"Tobii Gaze interaction software is a computer access method that allows those with disabilities to navigate and control their computer with their eyes, similarly as an everyday computer user uses a mouse (e.g., activate, select, zoom, scroll, etc.) to control their computer. Gaze interaction only requires the movement of the eye itself—the movement of other muscles is not required, making it a perfect solution for those with rehabilitative disabilities." - Rudnicki, 2020.
With these kinds of softwares and devices people are able to do several tasks that they wouldn't be able to do without these softwares. They are more able to express themselves, entertain themselves, do their daily tasks over the internet and have more freedom in their life. They are more able to connect with different people and get also support faster if needed.
According to Rudnicki functionality of a Tobii eye tracker, uses invisible infra-red light to illuminate the eyes. From there, two extremely high quality camera sensors capture the reflection off of the retina and the cornea of the eyes, commonly referred to as “red eye” and the glint, respectively. The eye tracker then uses these two points to build a 3D model of the user’s eyes to determine two things: where the user is looking (gaze point) and where the user’s eyes are in space, relative to the location of the computer (track box).
This information is then paired with Tobii Windows Control to allow the computer to know exactly where the user is looking with an accuracy of 1cm. The computer can then track the user’s gaze point and, ultimately, tell the computer where their eyes are looking at all times. By knowing where the user’s eyes are looking, the eye tracking device then can control the computer, similar to the way a mouse lets you control it with your hand.
Other these kind of softwares to mention are Precision Gaze Mouse software, Camera Mouse developed at Boston College and IntelliGaze from Alea Technologies.
Sources:
https://www.atia.org/home/at-resources/what-is-at/ (accessed 27.04.2021)
https://www.boundlessat.com/Mobility/Head-Eye-Control (accessed 27.04.2021)
https://papunet.net/saavutettavuus/silman-liikkeilla-ohjattava-kohdistin (accessed 27.04.2021))
https://precisiongazemouse.org (accessed 27.04.2021)
https://windowsreport.com/eye-control-software-pc/ (published 09.08.2017, accessed 27.04.2021)
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