Microsoft Eye Control Makes Accessibility Widely Available to Disabled
From: eWeek - 08/04/2017
By: Wayne Rash

In the August 3rd Windows Insider blog entry, Windows software engineer Dona
Sarkar detailed the improvements to Windows 10 that are coming out now for
users of the new Creators Update for Windows 10.

At the top of the announcement list is Eye Control (beta) which will provide
similar functionality to the device that Stephen Hawking uses, including the
ability to spell out words using predictive text, text to speech, and control
of Windows.

Eye Control requires a third-party device in the form of the Tobii Eye
Tracker 4C. This $149 device is available from Amazon and other resellers.
What’s interesting is that Tobii sells this product as a gaming device where
it’s supported by about 60 video games that run on Windows.

The addition of the eye control software to Windows expands the capabilities
of the Tobii Eye Tracker. Once you install the eye tracker hardware, Windows
will provide you with an application launch pad. You invoke the launch pad by
turning on Eye Control and then look up the function you want to use.

The Eye Control function will support a keyboard and mouse capability. The
currently available keyboard is for US English, but according to the
announcement, keyboards for other languages will be released in the near
future.

Currently, the Windows Eye Control function only works with Tobii hardware.
Microsoft chose to work with the Eye Tracker 4C apparently because of its
popularity in the gaming market.

This move by Microsoft, along with moves by other major companies to improve
the accessibility of their products is important for several reasons. The
most obvious is that it makes their products available to people with
disabilities who otherwise can’t easily use a computer. Because personal
computers have become such a vital part of society, it means that these
people can interact in ways that were previously closed to them.

Eye tracking is also important because it demonstrates a significant effort
by a major technology company to make their products more accessible to the
handicapped. Apple has also done this with the ability to provide
connectivity to a variety of medical devices and prostheses.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.eweek.com/pc-hardware/microsoft-eye-control-makes-accessibility-widely-available-to-disabled

Links:
Microsoft Empowers People with Eye Control for Windows 10
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/accessibility/2017/08/01/from-hack-to-product-microsoft-empowers-people-with-eye-control-for-windows-10

Microsoft Gives Windows Insiders Early Access to Eye Control Feature
http://www.eweek.com/enterprise-apps/microsoft-gives-windows-insiders-early-access-to-eye-control-feature

Microsoft Adding Eye-Tracking Technology to Windows 10
http://www.eweek.com/enterprise-apps/microsoft-adding-eye-tracking-technology-to-windows-10