Will Eye Tracking Devices Do Away with the Mouse?

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The introduction of the computer mouse revolutionized the way we interact with computers. Although the first mouse was invented by Douglas Englebart in 1967, it didn’t become widely used until Apple redesigned it to be included with their first Macintosh computer in the early 1980s. Actually, anyone born after that time has probably never operated a computer without a mouse, but eye tracking technology may change that.

The advantage of the mouse was that it was more intuitive than keyboard controls and saved time when navigating an interface. With a mouse, however, there is a certain element of hand-eye coordination necessary—the eye sees something on the screen, and the brain has to tell the hand to move the mouse to perform an action like point on an icon and click it or move a cursor. But what if the middle step could be eliminated?

The wearable Eye-Com EC7T eye tracking device is capable of eye and/or head-based computer control. Using either the eye tracking or head tracking functionality of the EC7T, a computer cursor can be controlled, emulating the mouse. While using head tracking, the wearer can move the cursor on the screen by moving their head. The movement of the head is calculated in relation to an array of monitor-mounted LEDs and translated into a position on the screen for the cursor. The cursor moves with the head and clicking occurs with a deliberate blink or prolonged stare on an object.

Accurate mouse emulation with eye tracking is a bit more complex because it is difficult to calculate the exact position of the point of gaze on the screen. However, once this technology is perfected, the EC7T will far surpass the mouse for intuitive interface control. What could be more natural than navigating a computer interface with your eyes instead of your hand? Beyond the benefits of ease of use, eye-based computer control will eliminate the ailments like carpal tunnel syndrome and backache that affect computer users who are at their computers for long periods of time.

There may someday be a time when every computer comes standard with an eye tracking device, and Eye-Com Corporation may be the one that leads the way.