Researchers develop eye-controlled computer

The Register reports.

Costing hundreds of times less than existing 3D eye tech, it could revolutionise the life of the disabled, says the team at Imperial University.

According to Tom's Hardware, the technology uses cameras to take pictures of the eye and calculate where the user's pupil is pointing. With some calibration effort, that information can be used to figure out where the user is looking, too.

The technology is also sophisticated enough to come up with the 3D gaze of the subjects, which the researchers believe can not only be used on the screen, but in the real world as well.

According to a study, published in The Journal of Neural Engineering, the device could even allow people to control an electronic wheelchair simply by looking where they want to go, or control a robotic prosthetic arm, IBN writes.

Composed of off-the-shelf materials, the new device can work out exactly where a person is looking by tracking eye movements, allowing them to control a cursor on a screen just like a normal computer mouse.

The eye-tracking devices and "smart" software can help patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy and spinal cord to interact with the computer freely.