Eye-controlled laptop debuts at CeBIT

Technology developed by Swedish firm, Tobii has been igniting debate at the CeBIT event in Hannover by apparently allowing users to operate PC devices using just their eyes.

The technology uses ‘eye-tracking’ to gauge exactly what part of the screen the user is looking at, allowing them to open menus or click on icons using only the power of their eyes.

This technology also registers whether or not the user is looking at the laptop at all, which, if not, sends itself into sleep mode, conserving much needed battery power.

‘Eye-tracking’ has been in existence for some time; it is already used in fields such as road safety, where it analyses driver’s eye patterns to check for drowsiness, or with the rehabilitation of victims of paralysis.

However, this is the first time the technology has been applied to the PC market, and Anders Olsson, a spokesman from Tobii, is understandably realistic about when this technology is likely to make a commercial appearance:

“It’s probably a couple of years away,” he said. “But it’s definitely going to be in the laptops of the future. You can do pretty much anything you would do with your normal laptop.”

“We’ve been stuck for a quarter of a century with a keyboard and a mouse.” He continued. “It’s time to move to the next step and eye control technology is the perfect solution.”

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