Samsung EYECAN + - mouse for people with disabilities
Good afternoon, Habr!
In addition to mobile devices, TV / audio / video and household appliances, cameras and camcorders, computer peripherals and storage devices, Samsung Electronics has been developing medical equipment for many years. Two years ago, the company announced a device for people with disabilities EYECAN - a mouse that was controlled by eye movements using special glasses. The other day, Samsung introduced the second generation of this development called EYECAN +, which will allow completely immobilized people to browse web pages, as well as create and edit documents with a simple movement of the pupils.
EYECAN + is one of the first devices of its kind, since it does not require any additional wearable devices, such as glasses or helmets. This is a portable device that works wirelessly. Its unit, equipped with a set of cameras, is located under the monitor and monitors the movement of the human eye, giving the computer commands and moving the cursor to the right place.
For correct operation of EYECAN +, the user must be located at a distance of 60-70 cm from the monitor. The position does not matter, so a person can both sit and lie in front of the screen. Calibration of the device will be required only during the first start-up, since EYECAN + remembers the characteristics of each user's eyes. It is also possible to adjust the sensitivity of the device - both during calibration and during operation. After calibration, the EYECAN + user interface is displayed as a pop-up menu in one of two modes: a menu in a standard rectangular window or a menu with a "floating" wheel; both display options contain 18 different commands.
All 18 teams are operated through the movement of the pupils and blinking. For example, one of the commands can be selected by a direct look at its icon in the general menu and blinking, which replaces a click on the button of a conventional computer mouse. Commands include copying, pasting, selecting objects or text fragments, as well as dragging, scrolling, and zooming. Additional user commands that replace hot keys, such as closing a program (Alt + F4) or printing (Ctrl + P), can be created separately.
Compared to the first version of EYECAN, which was introduced in March 2012, the calibration capabilities and functionality of EYECAN + have been significantly improved. For this, in many ways, thanks should be given to Hyun Jin Shin, a graduate student in computer science at Yonsei University in Seoul. Shin's body is paralyzed from birth. Working on the EYECAN project in 2011-2012, he took on a key role in the development of the second generation of the device. For 17 months, Sheen collaborated with Samsung engineers, painstakingly adjusting the functions, commands and degrees of response of EYECAN +, while trying to maintain its simplicity and ease of use.
Samsung does not plan to commercialize EYECAN +: the company will annually produce a limited number of these devices and donate them to people in need through charitable organizations. Both the technological and design part of EYECAN + will soon acquire open source code, which will make the device as accessible as possible for third-party companies and organizations.
In addition to mobile devices, TV / audio / video and household appliances, cameras and camcorders, computer peripherals and storage devices, Samsung Electronics has been developing medical equipment for many years. Two years ago, the company announced a device for people with disabilities EYECAN - a mouse that was controlled by eye movements using special glasses. The other day, Samsung introduced the second generation of this development called EYECAN +, which will allow completely immobilized people to browse web pages, as well as create and edit documents with a simple movement of the pupils.
EYECAN + is one of the first devices of its kind, since it does not require any additional wearable devices, such as glasses or helmets. This is a portable device that works wirelessly. Its unit, equipped with a set of cameras, is located under the monitor and monitors the movement of the human eye, giving the computer commands and moving the cursor to the right place.
For correct operation of EYECAN +, the user must be located at a distance of 60-70 cm from the monitor. The position does not matter, so a person can both sit and lie in front of the screen. Calibration of the device will be required only during the first start-up, since EYECAN + remembers the characteristics of each user's eyes. It is also possible to adjust the sensitivity of the device - both during calibration and during operation. After calibration, the EYECAN + user interface is displayed as a pop-up menu in one of two modes: a menu in a standard rectangular window or a menu with a "floating" wheel; both display options contain 18 different commands.
All 18 teams are operated through the movement of the pupils and blinking. For example, one of the commands can be selected by a direct look at its icon in the general menu and blinking, which replaces a click on the button of a conventional computer mouse. Commands include copying, pasting, selecting objects or text fragments, as well as dragging, scrolling, and zooming. Additional user commands that replace hot keys, such as closing a program (Alt + F4) or printing (Ctrl + P), can be created separately.
Compared to the first version of EYECAN, which was introduced in March 2012, the calibration capabilities and functionality of EYECAN + have been significantly improved. For this, in many ways, thanks should be given to Hyun Jin Shin, a graduate student in computer science at Yonsei University in Seoul. Shin's body is paralyzed from birth. Working on the EYECAN project in 2011-2012, he took on a key role in the development of the second generation of the device. For 17 months, Sheen collaborated with Samsung engineers, painstakingly adjusting the functions, commands and degrees of response of EYECAN +, while trying to maintain its simplicity and ease of use.
Samsung does not plan to commercialize EYECAN +: the company will annually produce a limited number of these devices and donate them to people in need through charitable organizations. Both the technological and design part of EYECAN + will soon acquire open source code, which will make the device as accessible as possible for third-party companies and organizations.