Computer Science

A human-computer interface using symmetry between eyes to detect gaze direction

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In the cases of paralysis so severe that a person's ability to control movement is limited to the muscles around the eyes, eye movements or blinks are the only way for the person to communicate. Interfaces that assist in such communication are often intrusive, require special hardware, or rely on active infrared illumination. A nonintrusive communication interface system called EyeKeys was therefore developed, which runs on a consumer-grade computer with video input from an inexpensive Universal Serial Bus camera and works without special lighting. The system detects and tracks the person's face using multiscale template correlation. The symmetry between left and right eyes is exploited to detect if the person is looking at the camera or to the left or right side. The detected eye direction can then be used to control applications such as spelling programs or games. The game "BlockEscape"was developed to evaluate the performance of EyeKeys and compare it to a mouse substitution interface. Experiments with EyeKeys have shown that it is an easily used computer input and control device for able-bodied people and has the potential to become a practical tool for people with severe paralysis. © 2008 IEEE.

Publication Title

IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Part A:Systems and Humans

Publication Date

2008

Volume

38

Issue

6

First Page

1248

Last Page

1261

ISSN

1083-4427

DOI

10.1109/TSMCA.2008.2003466

Keywords

assistive technology, disabled computer users, face detection, face tracking, gaze estimation, video-based human-computer interfaces, webcams

APA Citation

Magee, J. J., Betke, M., Gips, J., Scott, M. R., & Waber, B. N. (2008). A human–computer interface using symmetry between eyes to detect gaze direction. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics-Part A: Systems and Humans, 38(6), 1248-1261.

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