cogitoergocrash
Beta member
- Messages
- 1
- Location
- USA
for some time i have had interest in exploring the possibilities of the recently mainstream technology of eye tracking or gaze tracking. specifically, i want computer software that: a) is open source; b) uses a desktop camera (as opposed to specialized cameras such as infrared or head mounted) to estimate gaze direction; and c) relates that information to the computer monitor and use that data to move the cursor.
what i found were many application with a variety of combinations of attributes, but no one application that has the specific combination i seek. for instance, applications have been developed (mostly for individuals suffering from a severe handicap such as quadriplegia or advanced cerebral palsy) however all of these require a specialized head-mounted apparatus to operate. there are a number of applications (generally used in marketing research to collect consumer attention data) that track gaze direction using a head-mounted camera (aimed at the user's eye) and overlays it onto a video (recorded by a second camera mounted on the user's head aimed out at the environment), but these require specialized equipment and do not drive a cursor. applications exist that use a desktop webcam to analyse gestures, body moment and head movement to control a mouse, which comes close but obviously does not use gaze direction. applications exist that claim to fulfill the criteria, however are either excessively underdeveloped therefore buggy and impractical, or require a high degree of technical knowledge (such as coding) which i do not know. and finally there appears to be another application which also fit all of the technical criteria without the issues of underdevelopment, but is not open source (tobii technology).
it seems apparent to me that all necessary technologies required to create an application such as that described in the opening paragraph exist, at least independently. i see 3 possible reasons/solutions for this. 1) no one has yet synthesized all of those technologies into one application and i must wait until this happens; 2) my search simply did not find an existing application that does fit the criteria in which case perhaps one of you has a lead that i can follow up on; or 3) the application does exist, i simply need to bite the bullet and dish out the cash to purchase the consumer product.
first post. what are your thoughts?
what i found were many application with a variety of combinations of attributes, but no one application that has the specific combination i seek. for instance, applications have been developed (mostly for individuals suffering from a severe handicap such as quadriplegia or advanced cerebral palsy) however all of these require a specialized head-mounted apparatus to operate. there are a number of applications (generally used in marketing research to collect consumer attention data) that track gaze direction using a head-mounted camera (aimed at the user's eye) and overlays it onto a video (recorded by a second camera mounted on the user's head aimed out at the environment), but these require specialized equipment and do not drive a cursor. applications exist that use a desktop webcam to analyse gestures, body moment and head movement to control a mouse, which comes close but obviously does not use gaze direction. applications exist that claim to fulfill the criteria, however are either excessively underdeveloped therefore buggy and impractical, or require a high degree of technical knowledge (such as coding) which i do not know. and finally there appears to be another application which also fit all of the technical criteria without the issues of underdevelopment, but is not open source (tobii technology).
it seems apparent to me that all necessary technologies required to create an application such as that described in the opening paragraph exist, at least independently. i see 3 possible reasons/solutions for this. 1) no one has yet synthesized all of those technologies into one application and i must wait until this happens; 2) my search simply did not find an existing application that does fit the criteria in which case perhaps one of you has a lead that i can follow up on; or 3) the application does exist, i simply need to bite the bullet and dish out the cash to purchase the consumer product.
first post. what are your thoughts?
