What Will Apple Do With Swedish Eye-Tracking Technology? 170
andylim writes "An article on recombu.com explores the possibility that Apple is gearing up to launch eye-tracking technology soon. Citing a patent filed in 2008 that mentions 'gaze vectors' and a recent purchase of units from a Swedish eye-tracking company, the author suggests that the inclusion of eye-tracking tech in the company's forthcoming tablet would be Jobs's magnum opus. 'What better flourish to a career that began with the popularization of windows, icons, mouse and pointer than to usurp them all?'"
Give me my computer glasses? (Score:3, Insightful)
Though with multi-touch coming these days you could have multiple mouse icons and use eye movement and mouse movement on the same computer or instead eliminate the mouse and never have to take your hands off the keyboard to navigate (yes some of us use computers for more than porn).
Just my $0.02
I don't think he gets it (Score:5, Insightful)
'What better flourish to a career that began with the popularisation of windows, icons, mouse and pointer than to usurp them all?'"
Eye tracking technology doesn't usurp ANY of that. If anything, eyetracking technology makes windows and icons more useful, since those are designed to hold your attention for the short span that you need them.
And don't think that this technology would ever replace the mouse. You need a mouse for gaming, amongst many things. One such annoying technology around today is rollover ads. Our eyes often make tiny glances at colours and items that grab our attention.
Point is, they aren't changing the existing system, merely adding onto it.
Not Apple-like (Score:3, Insightful)
You know what I've always wanted? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I don't think he gets it (Score:3, Insightful)
And don't think that this technology would ever replace the mouse.
You never played Doom did you? I believe the quote was that no one would use a mouse because using the keyboard is so much better. Games adapt to the input devices available to them, and the mouse, at some point will be history. Don't say never. It's never true. :-)
Re:Obligatory joke (Score:1, Insightful)
Have a sense of humor, mods. That's a decent pun playing off the Apple trolls.
Videoconferencing (Score:4, Insightful)
A "gaze vector" is exactly the kind of information software would need to "correct" the illusion, to make it seem like the subject does have eye contact. I bet Apple is going to incorporate eye contact correction tech for videoconferencing in its products.
Re:Give me my computer glasses? (Score:3, Insightful)
Certainly you wouldn't use it while driving, and even walking might take some practice. But if you're not moving, having the display on glasses is a huge improvement over both laptops and phone displays.
Nobody can, but my understanding is that they can create an image that appears clearly even though you aren't directly focused on it.
Re:I don't think he gets it (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't disagree the mouse will disappear, just that Eye-tracking won't be the thing to do it. I believe Multi-touch will be, go google some of Jeff Hans videos (or look it up on TED.com) and you will see some amazing applicatons he's made with Touch Screens, or even sophistaced smart boards and projection techniques using relatively affordable hardware.
I just watched this [ted.com] and I agree - even the keyboard will probably be phased out once accurate Touch screen technology gets better amongst the big players. The great thing about all of Jeff Hans' items is that they are Open Source, if I put the money down for the hardware* I can duplicate EVERYTHING he demos, even contribute to his projects.
I might fire off an email and just ask him if he has any research going on with Eye tracking technology, and if he does, how much it would cost to set something like that up.
I think ultimately by the time I reach 80, some of the tech in Minority Report should be existant. We will have cool interfaces that change with multiple inputs from the user. And that Ads can essentially read my retinas from far away, and annoy the hell out of me.
*In fact, the first video of his that I saw he was demoing how a Wiimote and an Infra red Diode (Approximately 50 dollars) could produce a smart board (several hundred dollars). I am still considering doing this with just to play around with it.
Re:I don't think he gets it (Score:4, Insightful)
insensitive clods! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I don't think he gets it (Score:2, Insightful)
Those screens are great, but they depend on having an IR camera pointed at the whole back of the screen, which means that they aren't getting thin very fast.
Re:Hardware solution patented too...by Apple (Score:3, Insightful)
Hiding it between the pixels of LCD screen, when you have good enough manufacturing, seems to be
just...a straightforward progression.
Well, yeah, if you over-simplify any given proposal ("Make a camera small enough to fit between the pixels on a screen!") anything can seem like a straightforward progression. "Once a CPU is powerful enough, making an android is a straightforward progression!"