Microsoft published a new patent for a device called Eye-Gaze, which would allow users to communicate and interact with electronic devices without the use of hands and fingers to type. This could potentially be a great technology for accessibility purposes.
It uses what is known as “dwell-free” technology, meaning that typing is done by eye movements using keys on a screen. The “dwell-free” namesake comes from the fact that the user would not have to maintain or “dwell” eye contact with a key for an extended time, reducing eye strain.
According to Windows Report, the accessory would use artificial intelligence tools like predictive text and machine learning to predict words, either by using a visual stroke on the keyboard or by looking at the first and last letters of the word and letting the device predict it. This device could work on phones, tablets and PCs and can be used for text messages, email, web browsers, search engines and any other applications with text input options.
You can also use it to interact with applications in other ways, such as using Eye-Gaze to click a button in a web browser. It could also allow users to adjust settings such as audio volume or brightness using eye movements. There are a multitude of ways this device can interact with other devices.
Microsoft could have an affordable success on its hands
The only other peripheral that comes to mind that is even remotely similar to the Eye-Gaze is the Apple Vision Pro, but that's in a mixed reality environment that still requires some hand movements. While TechRadar and others reviewed it quite well, it's still not completely accessible and falls short of what Eye-Gaze could achieve.
Being able to write using eye movements alone would benefit many disabled people with a wide variety of conditions that hinder or completely eliminate hand movements. This would be especially helpful for people with hand tremors, arthritis, paralysis from the neck down, physical tics, and more.
And this isn't Microsoft's first rodeo when it comes to accessibility accessories either, as they released the excellent Microsoft Adaptive Accessories. And they are not only functional but also very affordable thanks to the fact that they are 3D printed. Not to mention the groundbreaking Xbox Adaptive Controller, which was the first console and PC controller with accessibility years before any mainstream company paid attention to the accessibility space.
So with Eye-Gaze, Microsoft continues to take the lead with these types of technologies that help make computing even more accessible. It's great that Microsoft has been investing in affordable peripherals, and hopefully this won't be the last technology like this the company develops, as it's an incredibly vital market share that's underdeveloped and underinvested in.
