Gaze TV: Eye-controlled screen unveiled
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by Bruce Tyson
Created on : September 03, 2012
Technology that uses eye movements tocontrol computers now works to control television sets. Heralded at the IFA trade show in Brazil, the eye-controlled TV means that viewers can change channels, adjust volume levels and view menus by looking at on-screen icons.

Good News for Couch Potatoes

Watching television now requires less effort than it did before. Couch potatoes no longer need to stretch their arms while reaching for a remote. They no longer must risk the discomfort of pressing the wrong buttons by accident.Even the most entranced, drooling TV fans can find the programs they want quickly and easily without lifting a finger.

How it Works

Tobii, a Swedish firm that already sells eye-tracking devices that control computers, uses a table-mounted sensor to monitor and capture eye movements of someone watching a television screen. The BBC reports that the TV-based system is only a prototypenow. Soon, however, Gaze TV should have many of its glitches fixed so real-world testing of the device can begin.

Some people may find that Gaze TV is unacceptable for their homes because the system requires space on the coffeetable normally used by day-old pizza boxes, beer and smelly feet. By the time the system reaches consumers, however, the equipment needed to trackeye movements could become integrated into television cabinets. This means people can enjoy painless control of their televisions without the need for time-consuming room cleanup.

Beyond Smart

Smart TVs that use hand gestures and voice commands already exist. Many TV viewers do not like these “smart” products because of the enormous effort required to either speak or to moveone’s arms. Gaze TV should help sick, unemployed, lazy and otherwise-immobile people to use television withoutthe senseless waste of energy gestures, speech and traditional remotes represent.
Before using Gaze TV, users must calibrate the device to their own eye movements. This means that the technology may work best for unemployed young adults who often spend long days loafing at their parent’s homes while parents are at work. Hospital rooms and nursing homes where only one person uses the television for extended periods can also benefit from Gaze TV.

Look Ma! No Microbes!

Gaze TV represents a tremendous breakthrough for travelers who are seemingly bombarded by lethal bacteria almost every step of the way. Huffington Post reports that television remotes in hotel rooms are among the most unsanitary surfaces travelers touch during the day. Hotels apparently do not clean television remotes, so infectious biological materials tend to accumulate. Gaze TV can help.
College dorms, hotels, daycare centers and prisons may soon become safer places now that television remotes have gone the way of the dinosaur. Hands-free television viewing means that programming may soon be the only thingabout TV that makes people sick.

Source:
http://www.helium.com/items/2367923-gaze-tv-eye-controlled-televisions-that-could-save-your-life