The Engineer Behind the Eye Tracking Robotic System
Eye tracking was mentioned in a recent post in the UK’s Bradford Telegraph and Argus. For many of you who frequent Eye Tracking Update, the article might seem a little elementary but let’s not forget – while eye tracking is a center of attention for most of us, it’s not as ubiquitous as we think.
The article mentions that one student at Bradford University recently created a wireless robot that can be controlled by the human eye. The robot using eye tracking technology and experts say it has the potential to improve the lives of thousands of disabled individuals.
We covered the same story in another recent post, but as long as it’s making news, we’ll continue to monitor it. Suraj Verma, an M.S. candidate at the School of Engineering, Design, and Technology was the one to create the robot. The progressive eye tracking technology that his project uses has a number of practical applications for future development and research, especially when it comes to assisted living and the disabled, says Dr. Prashant Pillai, his mentor.
The project is called IRIS, meaning Intelligent Recognition for Interactive Systems, and it’s been developed using eye tracking technology specifically focusing on robotic navigation, home automation, and research on both media and marketing. The system features an eye tracker that mounts on the head and can detect movement of a human’s eye and then control the robot’s navigation through Bluetooth.
The robotic system has the ability to turn the lights and other appliances on and off, using a X10 wireless protocol, which is the standard for wireless control in household electronic devices. X10 uses bursts of radio frequency signals to communicate, and the researchers hope the system can eventually help disabled individuals to communicate and use household appliances.
Verma’s system uses both sound and touch to control the computer, and the devices can be used to determine how much attention people give media like advertisements, magazine articles, and websites. The researchers say the system is still in its initial stages but should be expanded easily to control a mouse, browse online, create new ways of game controls or manage a mobile phone from a laptop.
Experts say that eye-track could be used to help disabled people
Related articles:
- Student Creates Eye Tracking Robot To Aid Disabled
- Gaze Tracking Used to Improve Human-Robot Interactions
- openEyes Eye Tracking System
- A Humanoid Robot Equipped With Eye Tracking Capabilities
- EyeSeeCam Portable Eye Tracking System