Do you remember Tobii, the company that promised to make Windows 8 desktops viable with intuitive eye-control technology that actually works? Now they want to bring it to its own C12 Windows tablet, because, well, who knows.
The whole reason that Tobii eye-control is interesting, and potentially revolutionary, is that the Windows 8 Metro Modern interface is tricky for mouse and keyboard, and eye-control that lets you aim the cursor by looking and click with a blink mitigates that. What is the Modern interface actually optimised for? Touch. When you have a UI that’s designed for touch, on a touch-capable device that you hold in your hands, what could you possibly need eye-control for? The whole concept makes about as much sense as a touchscreen TV.
Nonetheless, Tobii’s C12 tablet has gotten approval from the Federal Communications Commission and seems to be trudging towards existence. Granted, there are probably some applications for this kind of thing for those with disabilities, but for the average user, it’s unlikely to be more than a novelty. Hopefully its development hasn’t drawn too much of Tobii’s attention which could have been devoted to other, more widely applicable pursuits. [Wireless Goodness via BGR]
Update: On further research, it’s become clear that the C12 tablet was originally introduced in 2009, specifically for use by the disabled (or those who would otherwise have difficulty with a touch interface) and has had eye-tracking functionality since its introduction. This is not a product aimed at the typical consumer market as initially implied (and criticized), and is instead designed for mounted use on a wheelchair or bed. The recent approval from the FCC is in regard to a new GSM module, not an entirely new model.