“This type of technology is still very young in the market,” adds Herlo. “I think everyone is trying to figure out what could be done next with it.” EYE TRACKING FOR DISABILITY For some, the benefits of eye-tracking tech aren’t just game-changing, they’re life-changing. UK charity SpecialEffect, launched by Dr Mick Donegan in 2007, works to give people with physical disabilities access to video games. The charity serves enthusiasts of all ages, including accident victims, injured veterans, stroke patients and people with congenital or progressive conditions. Donegan began as a teacher and assistant technology specialist helping significantly disabled young people in schools. He was investigating the potential for eye-tracking technology as early as 2004 when working with COGAIN, a European organisation studying gaze-controlled solutions for people with complex disabilities. He started SpecialEffect as a way of meeting the desire expressed by clients to access and play video games. SpecialEffect offers a variety of services and technological interventions, and eye-tracking technology has been a boon for some. One especially useful tool for gamers has been the low-cost Tobii 4c – used by the pros – for tracking eye movement and play analysis. But tech interventions can also include everything from remapping existing set-ups to head- controlled input devices or customised controllers. “Eye-gaze technology isn’t the only method for game and interface control,” says SpecialEffect communications officer Mark Saville. “It’s often part of a cluster of tools, used in conjuction with voice or body movement. There is no one-size-fits-all set-up.” Saville gives the example of one SpecialEffect
LONG-DISTANCE GOALS Rob Camm was left a tetraplegic after a car crash and began using eye-gaze tech from his hospital bed. He now does wheelchair half marathons and is a major fundraiser for the SpecialEffect charity
control of their eyes, who can take advantage of the technology.” The charity recently released version 2 of EyeMine for PCs. It is a gaze-controlled, on-screen interface for everyone’s favourite block-based sandbox
game, Minecraft. The free software is optimised for eye-tracking technology, but can also be used with inputs as basic as a computer mouse. EyeMine is designed to be compatible with all the major gaze-control systems As eye-tracking technology improves, so does the empowerment of disabled
WE HAVE USERS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY WHO CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TECHNOLOGY
client using eye-gaze control who was still restricted by only possessing vertical eye movement. Each gaming set-up needs to be integrated according to user requirement. That in-home consultation and calibration is a big part of what SpecialEffect does. “The first time I saw eye-gaze technology was in the early 2000s,” remembers Saville. “With those set-ups you had to keep your head perfectly still. Now, we have users with, say, cerebral palsy, who may have involuntary head movement, but perfect
users, and access to video games can be life- changing. People with severely restricted movement can suddenly run, drive a car, play basketball – and engage with people around the world. Saville recalls one SpecialEffect client with muscular dystrophy who was finally able to start gaming online – and winning. “He said of his opponents: ‘You can hear them throwing the controller against the wall when they lose.’”
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