Eye Tracking + Windows 10
*This blog post was updated 17 Oct 2017
Today, Microsoft released an update for Windows 10 that includes built-in eye tracking support.
Tobii offers an array of Tobii Dynavox assistive solutions for Windows Eye Control, available here. We and our hardware partners, including Alienware and Acer, also offer a full range of eye tracking solutions, ranging from built-in laptops, monitors and our own Tobii Eye Tracker 4C peripheral..
Eye Control makes Windows 10 more accessible by empowering people with disabilities to operate an onscreen mouse, keyboard, and text-to-speech experience using only their eyes.
*Read the Tobii press release — “Tobii and Microsoft Collaborate to bring Eye Tracking Support in Windows 10” here.
Our devices are “blind” today.
In human to human communication, we are aware of each other, which enables a natural and richer interaction.
Up until recently, computers have been blind to the end user. A device might know what location it is in, or what time of day it is where you are. It may respond to your active input from keyboard and mouse or the touch of a finger. In some cases, you can even talk to it, although not as naturally as you would be communicating with another person.
But, the interactions you have with a computer today are limited to the explicit instructions you provide it.
Eye tracking technology enables a computer to be more aware of the user and provides a new paradigm with the potential to transform how we interact with our devices.
By making the computer aware of your intentions and your presence, it can propel the overall user experience to new levels.
What can eye tracking do right now?
With the introduction of Eye Control from Microsoft, support for eye tracking comes to Windows, and the initial focus will be on accessibility features:
Users will benefit from entry level typing, clicking, and text-to-speech functions, based on eye tracking.
Accessibility is an area Tobii has established itself in over the years, through Tobii Dynavox. It has been gratifying and fantastic to see how it has empowered individuals who otherwise would be in pain from using the mouse, or perhaps not able to use a computer at all. Tobii Dynavox is now working to ensure that both its current and new generations of eye tracking devices and software will be compatible with Eye Control in Windows.
In addition to the Eye Control interactions that Microsoft is introducing, we already provide a range of accessibility functions in our Tobii Dynavox product portfolio today.
👉See all the Windows Eye Control Features available with Tobii.
Existing add-on Tobii features in Windows 10
🔒Tobii eye tracking sensors can keep your device and your content safer and more secure. With Tobii, your device knows who you are (and can even tell if someone else is trying to use your computer) with integrated services like Windows Hello from Microsoft and other biometric technologies.
Further to the accessibility features are the already available general computing functionalities available in Windows 10. These features include Windows UI optimizations that allow users to select at gaze in certain Windows menus such as the app switcher. Power saving features also allow for optimization, leading to increased power saved by dimming and turning off the display when the user is not present.
Productivity geared eye-gaze applications based on interactions in Windows such as “Touch at Gaze” is a prime example of a multimodal interaction. With Touch at Gaze, you can move your cursor to the area on the screen where your eyes are focused simply by resting your finger on the touchpad.
Our vision of Eye Tracking
Eye tracking offers the possibility of augmenting your interactions with devices by making them more direct and natural. This augmentation is particularly clear for PC gaming in which Tobii has already established a strong use case.
Interested to learn more about eye tracking? Explore it in-depth here
It can help you to select, type and speak entirely hands-free. It can show you only the relevant information that you focus on, and remind you where you have been looking on your device as well as where you are focusing now.
It transforms “flat” games into VR worlds, immersing you in (and on) the game and the screen. And it brings full VR worlds much closer to reality! Eye tracking also makes social even more social, letting characters interact with you directly and letting them “look into your eyes.”
Eye tracking is to VR what Touch was to smartphones.
When VR is combined with eye tracking, you just look at something, and the device knows where your attention is focused. When you look at a smartphone and then touch the screen, the phone knows what you want. With eye tracking, when you look at something in VR and press a controller, the device knows exactly what you want to do.
We are only beginning the journey of how computers and devices can be more emotionally engaging, perceptive of your intentions, and better able to anticipate your needs and preferences.
How do I get started with eye tracking on my Windows PC today?
- Get an eye tracker
- For accessibility usage, check the recommended eye trackers for Windows Eye Control from Tobii Dynavox.
- For general computing and gaming, check out the Tobii Eye Tracker 4C.
2. Make sure you have Windows 10 Fall Creators Update installed on your computer
3. Follow this step-by-step guide on how to use eye tracking natively in Windows
