Touching a screen is so tiring. I don’t want to move my hands: there must be an easier way to launch Angry Birds. Can’t I just look at an app to launch it? Wait, I can? Wow.
Tobii is a company that specialises in eye-tracking technology, and it’s just developed software that works with Windows 8. Using Tobii’s “Eye control device” — essentially a fancy web cam — the software can tell which parts of the screen your gaze is focussed on, with enough precision to detect which app you’re interested in launching.
Tobii claim to be able to emulate every swipe motion available on Windows 8, too. While it doesn’t sound practical for use with a phone or tablet, it makes sense for touchscreen desktops, because reaching out and touching your monitor still feels a bit weird.
Decreasing the amount of physical contact by using clever tricks like this could well push touchscreen desktops into the realm of actually being useful. In the meantime, it’s also just pretty neat. [Tobii via Ubergizmo]