Those affected by locked-in often can't speak verbally. University of San Diego is developing a system that uses eye technology for communication. (via University of San Diego)
I love these stories.
Talking is a part of daily life whether it's saying hello to a bank teller or reminding yourself to take out the garbage, but can you imagine not being able to utter a single word? This is what happens to those affected by locked-in syndrome, a condition where a person is aware but can't move or communicate verbally because almost all voluntary muscles are paralyzed. Luckily, there's technology out there that can give these people a voice once again.
The UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering are currently researching assistive technology to help those with disabilities. They are currently developing a system that uses eye tracking for communication. This would be ideal for those affected by locked-in syndrome since they usually only have control of their eyes. There's already a prototype, Eyehome, which uses a phone-like interface for navigation by gazing at different parts of the screen. Looking in certain directions will relay a message while looking in another direction could be to catch up on Facebook or your social network of choice. The team is working on various applications like book readers, musical instruments, and computer generated speech to use with the system.
It's innovative and sounds like a great solution, but keep in mind it's still in the early stages. The idea originally came about when Nadir Weibel, research scientist in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, challenged his class to invent solutions to help those affected by locked-in last fall. By the end of the quarter, several students came up with various suggestions using both eye tracking systems and Google Glass. It's looking pretty good for the team as they recently received $30,000 in funding via the Moxie Foundation, who are dedicated to empowering people and communities by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success, personal health, and the environment.
An early version of "EyeHome," an eye-tracking HMI.
“It’s very difficult to get funding for a project like this—it’s very experimental,” said Weibel in a press release. “But the Moxie Foundation has been a supporter of our work from the beginning. Thanks to their investment, we will be able to continue our research and make it scalable. At the same time, we are giving students an opportunity to use what they’ve learned in class to make a real difference in the world—and they are eager for that kind of experience.” It pains me to hear that they have trouble funding projects like this. I would imagine that a kickstarter campaign about the tech would garner a huge outpouring of support...
It may be awhile until we actually see these systems available, but just the idea of them is amazing. With this new funding to help and a few prototypes under their belt it seems the UC San Diego team will have no problem getting these eye tracking systems in development. Hopefully, they'll see the light of day soon so those affected by locked-in syndrome can verbally speak once again.
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