PC makers bet on gaze, gesture, voice, and touch
January 11, 2013
Products that could make it common to control a computer, TV, or something else using eye gaze, gesture, voice, and even facial expression were launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, MIT Technology Review reports.
The technology promises to make computers and other devices easier to use, let devices do new things, and perhaps boost the prospects of companies reliant on PC sales. Industry figures suggest that interest in laptop and desktop computers is waning as consumers’ heads are turned by smartphones and tablets.
Intel announced a new webcam-like device and supporting software intended to bring gesture, voice control, and facial expression recognition to PCs. “This will be available as a low-cost peripheral this year,” said Kirk Skaugen, vice president for Intel’s PC client group.
Intel also announced that, before the end of the year, it would release software that adds a voice-activated assistant to PCs, powered by technology from voice-recognition company Nuance.
Intel’s new gesture-sensing hardware device, made in partnership with the software company SoftKinetic and webcam maker Creative, has a combination of conventional and infrared cameras, and several microphones. The supporting software enables applications on a computer to track each of a person’s 10 fingers, recognize faces, and interpret words spoken in nine languages.
Software developers can already download Intel’s enabling software and ask the company to send one of the prototype devices, a move intended to encourage the development of applications that support new forms of interaction.
Gaze control was touted as a crucial feature of future PCs and other gadgets by two companies at CES.
Tobii, a Swedish company, introduced a standalone USB device called the Rexx that allows any Windows 8 PC to track eye movement. The small black box is initially being made available to software developers, but will go on general sale late in 2013. Tobii’s eye-tracking technology shines infrared light at a PC user, and tracks the reflection of it in his pupils.
EyeTech, a smaller company based in the U.S. that has previously focused on users unable to operate mice and keyboards, showed similar technology, touting a new sensor that can be integrated into PC peripherals, large desktop computers, and TVs.
Comments (8)
by snake0
What’s all this Win8 exclusivity bullcrap, can’t I have both a functional OS AND gesture control?
by Vin
No you can’t have something that actually works or you’ll never want to buy a replacement.
by Motech
When you’re freaking out, the PC ought to know and calm you down.
I suppose your general emotional state can be figured out from the combination of your
- skin (tracked by many health gadgets today)
- face
- limb and body motions and posture
- voice
by Motech
I mean, the computer must know when the user is frustrated and either resolve the situation or send a report to the developers. Something like the ‘shake the phone to report a bug’ feature.
by JC
Some despicable advertiser is probably pondering a big square ad that follows your focal point wherever it strays. Can an app be designed that follows your gaze from screen to screen in a mall and blocks all eye-following ads? Or perhaps we can have a national no-ad list that will put in restrictions as soon as we are identified by iris or facial recognition?
by Heartland
Even a month ago it seemed like motion tracking technology from Leap Motion was on course to replace a computer mouse, but it’s almost obvious now that gaze tracking will become the preferred way of how we will begin to interact with with electronics from now on. 2013 promises to become even more revolutionary than I though it would be.
by Khannea Suntzu
Khannea Suntzu bets on gaze, gesture, voice, and touch
by Marian Grace
WOW….. Amazing! you just cant BELIEVE what people are able to accomplish! this is just…… wow……