News & Analysis
Writing, drawing with eyes
Anne-Francoise Pele
8/3/2012 5:01 AM EDT
PARIS – It is now possible to draw and write using just eye movements, claimed France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).
French CNRS researcher Jean Lorenceau said that subjects suffering from limb paralysis can use their eyes to personalize their writing and express themselves. They can write numbers, letters, figures, their signatures and to draw through a technique based on an oculometer and a computer screen. An oculometer enables eye movements to be recorded by analyzing images of the human eye captured by a camera to calculate the direction in which the subject is looking.
Source: CNRS
The left hand side of this figure shows the position (solid line) and the speed (dotted line) of horizontal (red) and vertical (green) eye movements. On the right: the word “eye” corresponds to these traces.
Source: CNRS
Figures written with the device
Source: CNRS
To start with, Lorenceau said he used a visual illusion called reverse-phi. The illusion occurs when several hundred disks whose luminance varies over time at a frequency of around 10-15 Hertz are displayed on the screen. When the subject's eyes move over this flickering background, the subject has the clear impression that the disks move with the displacement of the eyes. Since the human eye can with precision moving objects, the illusory movement of the disks induced by the movement of the eyes gives them a moving support, allowing them to realize regular and non-jerky trajectories, researcher claimed.
An oculometer then records the movements of the user's eye and a software tool enables these movements to be visualized on a screen.
Lorenceau indicated that only two to four training sessions lasting around 30 minutes are needed to be able to manage eye movements and draw letters. Then, well-trained users can write with their eyes at more or less the same speed as with their hand.
Moving forward, Lorenceau said he expects to propose the system to persons suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It could also be used to train pilots, surgeons, sportsmen, artists and other persons whose activities require precise oculomotor control, he concluded.
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French CNRS researcher Jean Lorenceau said that subjects suffering from limb paralysis can use their eyes to personalize their writing and express themselves. They can write numbers, letters, figures, their signatures and to draw through a technique based on an oculometer and a computer screen. An oculometer enables eye movements to be recorded by analyzing images of the human eye captured by a camera to calculate the direction in which the subject is looking.
Source: CNRS
The left hand side of this figure shows the position (solid line) and the speed (dotted line) of horizontal (red) and vertical (green) eye movements. On the right: the word “eye” corresponds to these traces.
Source: CNRS
Figures written with the device
Source: CNRS
To start with, Lorenceau said he used a visual illusion called reverse-phi. The illusion occurs when several hundred disks whose luminance varies over time at a frequency of around 10-15 Hertz are displayed on the screen. When the subject's eyes move over this flickering background, the subject has the clear impression that the disks move with the displacement of the eyes. Since the human eye can with precision moving objects, the illusory movement of the disks induced by the movement of the eyes gives them a moving support, allowing them to realize regular and non-jerky trajectories, researcher claimed.
An oculometer then records the movements of the user's eye and a software tool enables these movements to be visualized on a screen.
Click on image to view video
Source: CNRS
Source: CNRS
Lorenceau indicated that only two to four training sessions lasting around 30 minutes are needed to be able to manage eye movements and draw letters. Then, well-trained users can write with their eyes at more or less the same speed as with their hand.
Moving forward, Lorenceau said he expects to propose the system to persons suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It could also be used to train pilots, surgeons, sportsmen, artists and other persons whose activities require precise oculomotor control, he concluded.
------------------------
If you found this article to be of interest, visit Medical Designline where you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to all aspects of clean technologies. And, to register to our weekly newsletter, click here.
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anne-francoise.pele
8/3/2012 5:48 AM EDT
Another possible application could be design security systems based on the recognition of eye movements.
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t.alex
8/3/2012 10:57 AM EDT
Interesting. But is the eye movement pattern unique for human? Or you are referring to some 'unlock' pattern like on android devices ?
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KB3001
8/3/2012 11:31 AM EDT
Perhaps use eye movement to indicate a password without having to press buttons...
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goafrit
8/3/2012 6:51 AM EDT
Interesting. I think Microsoft will move to partner with these guys. This is what the next Xbox was dreaming to do and Bill Gates promised for ages.
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KB3001
8/3/2012 11:33 AM EDT
I rather think this has niche applications e.g. accessibility for disabled people.
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Sanjib.Acharya
8/4/2012 12:01 PM EDT
Great example of how technology helps us in overcoming the disabilities. This would be stressful to eyes otherwise, isn't it?
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Luis Sanchez
8/4/2012 6:13 PM EDT
Why are the light circles needed? just for training the users?
This is very interesting. I think this can become an app for mobile phones and become a new way of controlling or a new form of HMI.
At least if not controlling, if the computing device is aware of where the user's eye is looking at, perhaps the interaction can further be speed up and made more agile. This is something that can become widespread.
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KB3001
8/4/2012 8:41 PM EDT
Eye-gazing technology has been around for some time in various labs but failed to break into the mainstream. I believe niche applications are where we will see this technology deployed. It's simply not practical for wider use.
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DrQuine
8/5/2012 7:13 PM EDT
This is especially elegant because it enables direct communication to another person. How does the "writer" indicate end of word breaks? Is it a rapid blink of the eye or some darting glance away? I suppose a similar approach could be used on a virtual keyboard to look at and trigger the individual keys.
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agk
8/6/2012 7:52 AM EDT
Yes it is easier than making the eyes strain to write the letters.
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prabhakar_deosthali
8/6/2012 1:32 AM EDT
I find one more application for this technology. The TRPs can now be very accurately measured for the TV programs and commercials.
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agk
8/6/2012 7:50 AM EDT
I just tried to write with my eyes.It is a tough job. Eyes can not with stand this much of pressure.
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KB3001
8/6/2012 9:03 AM EDT
voice control is the most natural way indeed. This technology is useful for disabled people for sure. One thing they could add is predictive text. OK, you've heard here first so I'd need my share :-)
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hm
8/6/2012 12:32 PM EDT
Convert these letter to audio and one can generate speech from eye movement.
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Eyal Melamed Cohern
8/7/2012 7:46 AM EDT
Hello.
My father has ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). He is totally paralyzed and works with his eyes only. He uses a SW called "eyetech" fir years. He writes and even draw Photoshop drawings with his eyes only! see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Ijbh7liDA
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