NASA-built tech lets paralyzed people communicate with eye movements
An innovative solution has emerged thanks to an incredible collaboration between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Eyegaze Inc.
Envision a game-changing technology that grants the power of expression to those facing speech challenges.
An innovative solution has emerged thanks to an incredible collaboration between NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Eyegaze Inc.
They have created Eyegaze Edge, an eye-driven communication device.
This device facilitates communication for patients with traumatic brain injuries, strokes, or conditions that prohibit them from speaking.
This small but powerful device seamlessly integrates with computers, mobile phones, and tablets. It opens up a world of possibilities, allowing users to chat online, post on social media, send emails, text, make phone calls, and even control their surroundings.
The device takes only 15 seconds to calibrate to a person's gaze.
How does the device work?
In 1998, NASA and Eyegaze set out to make communication technologies more accessible. It was first conceptualized and designed by the Eyegaze. The partnership with NASA enabled the company to considerably improve the design tech of the gadget.
“NASA helped us get our technology to the size of a laptop – small and sleek,” said Preethi Vaidyanathan, an engineer with Eyegaze, in an official NASA release.
“Since then, we integrated the external components into a small camera,” Vaidyanathan added.
The device can be placed either above or below a computer screen.
The eye-tracking system functions by precisely identifying the location on a screen where the eye is focused. This process involves reflecting infrared light off the cornea and capturing the reflected light with a camera. Shortly, specialized image-processing software analyzes the captured data to identify the eye's direction.
In a nutshell, the system tracks the movement and position of the eye based on the reflected infrared light, allowing for accurate pinpointing of the gaze on the screen.
This improvised technology has already become part of several users' lives in 44 countries, including Southeast Asia and Africa. Adults, children as young as 18 months old, military veterans, and many others have found a lifeline through this technology.
Furthermore, this technology allows users to control room lighting and temperature settings.
It also provides hands-free control over wheelchair mobility via the Ability Drive application.
“We are constantly thinking about what the customers want. One thing is freedom of movement, so controlling a wheelchair gives them that to some extent,” said Vaidyanathan.
Locked-in syndrome
Apart from brain and spinal cord injuries, various medical conditions can result in severe physical paralysis, making individuals unable to speak.
These include cerebral palsy, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and spinal muscular atrophy. These conditions may lead to a state known as “locked-in syndrome,” which paralyzes all voluntary muscles except those that regulate eye movement.
In such difficult circumstances, eye-tracking software emerges as a critical patient lifeline. Individuals with these problems can communicate using eye-tracking technology, connecting and expressing themselves despite their physical constraints.
“We continue to investigate and design our solutions to meet ongoing needs. Communication is a key right, so we must accommodate these different challenges,” Vaidyanathan said in the press release.
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