L.C Technologies is about to introduce the new Eyegaze system. It's called the Eyegaze Edge. The price is substantially lower, the camera is smaller, the performance is as good or better than their "blue box" system, and it can be configured many ways. This revolutionary system at this price will allow for pre-approved assignment from Medicare.
The system offering right now is using the MAC mini (loaded with WIN XP) which is tiny but powerful. The price has substantially dropped, and comes with approximately 3 hours of installation and training time. Option prices, travel costs and extra consulting are unchanged.
The price of a turnkey Eyegaze Edge system with the MAC mini is $8700. USD. It includes the camera, camera mounting bracket, and software. It doesn't include monitor arm, the monitor arm is available separately for an additional $234. USD, or you can supply one that is available.
The Eyegaze System is a direct-select vision-controlled communication and control system. An Eyegaze user can perform a broad variety of functions including speech synthesis, environmental control (lights and appliances), typing, operating a television, and running both mouse- and keyboard-controlled applications on a second PC. Selections are made by looking at boxes or "keys" displayed on the Eyegaze System's screen. Nothing is attached to the user. Eyegaze programs vary from simple teaching programs, where the screen is divided into two or four large boxes (keys), to entire on-screen computer keyboards with 75 or more 5/8-inch square keys. Eyegaze users range in age from 5 years to 80 years old.
The Eyegaze System uses the pupil-center/corneal-reflection method to determine where the user is looking on the screen. An infrared-sensitive video camera, mounted beneath the System's monitor, takes 60 pictures per second of the user's eye. A low power, infrared light emitting diode (LED), mounted in the center of the camera's lens illuminates the eye. The LED reflects a small bit of light off the surface of the eye's cornea. The light also shines through the pupil and reflects off of the retina, the back surface of the eye, and causes the pupil to appear white. The bright-pupil effect enhances the camera's image of the pupil and makes it easier for the image processing functions to locate the center of the pupil. The computer calculates the person's gaze point, i.e., the coordinates of where he is looking on the screen, based on the relative positions of the pupil center and corneal reflection within the video image of the eye. Typically the Eyegaze System predicts the gaze point with an average accuracy of a quarter inch or better.
