Windows 10 will include built-in eye tracking support (for disabled Windows users)

The Verge ^ | Aug 1, 2017 | Tom Warren

[dayglored]

Microsoft is planning to add native eye tracking support into Windows 10. The new support is primarily designed to help those suffering from neuro-muscular diseases like ALS and other disabilities to control the various interface elements in Windows 10 without a traditional mouse and keyboard. This ranges from gazing at apps to launch them, or using an onscreen keyboard to glance at characters and type out words.

Dubbed Eye Control in Windows 10, the new feature will require hardware like Tobii’s Eye Tracker 4C. Microsoft has worked closely with Tobii to enable this support, and existing devices like Tobii Dynavox PCEye Mini, PCEye Plus, EyeMobile Plus and I-series will all be supported soon. Eye Control in Windows 10 is in beta now, and participants will need to sign up to Microsoft’s Windows Insider program to get access.

Microsoft’s collaboration was triggered by the first Microsoft employee hackathon known as One Week back in 2014. A winning entry, inspired by former professional football player Steve Gleason, pushed Microsoft to form a new research team to investigate eye tracking. Microsoft’s Windows team built prototypes of eye tracking, and CEO Satya Nadella has now supported its integration directly into Windows 10. It’s not clear exactly when this eye tracking support will be available broadly, but given Microsoft recently started working on its March Windows 10 update, we’d expect to see eye tracking appear next year.

[tophat9000]

just got back from Defcon and they were talking about one of the thing they’re trying to develop called type “fisting” (no it’s not that kind of fisting)

if you recalling days of telegraph and Morse code skilled operators listening to someone keying could recognize who was sending it by the rhythm of how they keyed the Morse operators would have a unique Rhythm or Cadence to how they keyed out the code

what seems its the same thing with how you use your keyboard and mouse on a computer

everybody’s unique style of rhythm to their typing and they’re trying to train the computers to recognize that so they can recognize if it’s in fact you at the keyboard

[bgill]

Wonder if they also can track middle fingers?

[dayglored]

Yeah I remember “fist” from the Morse code days. :-)

They could ID me pretty easy these days, just listen for the “whack!” when I hit the Enter key.

[DiogenesLamp]

Wonder if they also can track middle fingers?

Eventually they will track Microgestures. They will eventually read facial expressions and body language.

If people think i'm paranoid, it's because I understand how a lot of this stuff works, and I know what is possible.

I also believe we live in such an ethically challenged time that any opportunity to exploit something for profit will be done.

[wally_bert]

Wonder how diploplia and lazy eye types will mesh?

[smokingfrog]

So last week I bought a new 2 in 1 Dell computer with Win 10. Last night got a notice that update to version 1703 was available. It took forever to download and then started installing automatically late this afternoon. It got to 24% installed but now doesn’t seem to be progressing any further.

Any advice. I guess I could just leave it on overnight and see what happens. I’m afraid to turn the computer off until it finishes updating.

[smokingfrog]

Right after I posted previous, I see that progress suddenly jumped to 90% so maybe it will be okay.