Five electrodes are connected to an electrophysiological amplifier which is connected to a computer. A program in the computer translates the signals received from the electrodes into the position of the cursor on the screen. When the user moves his or her eyes, the cursor moves. Boston College undergraduates learn to use the system well enough within an hour to use EagleEyes to spell out messages at the rate of one character every 2.5 seconds.
The EagleEyes technology can be used as a mouse-replacement both with commercially available software and with custom-built software. Over the past several years we have begun teaching some severely disabled children and young adults from the Greater Boston area on the technology. These children are able to "eye paint" (create "finger paintings" by moving their eyes) and run educational, entertainment, and communications software just by moving their eyes. We have had some exciting successes. We have established a satellite facility in Middleboro, Mass. Some students have advanced to the point where they currently are using EagleEyes for cognitive academic activities in their school programs.
We have an interface that allows us to control a toy remote-controlled car and a powerered wheelchair using EagleEyes. We are working to develop an interactive music system controlled through EagleEyes.
Research has continued on the development of a system called Camera Mouse that works by having a camera sitting on top of the computer monitor "lock" onto some part of the user (nose, eye, toe) and use that to move the mouse. Visit Prof James Gip's website for more details.
The EagleEyes project was a finalist in the 1994 Discover Magazine Technology Innovation of the Year awards. It has been featured in Discover magazine, in the New York Times, in the Los Angeles Times, in the Boston Herald, in The Times of London, on the BBC, and on the Disney Channel.
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