Eyes alone used to control a computer

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LONDON, July 16 (UPI) -- People with disabilities or diseases that leave them paralyzed could soon interact with their computers using just their eyes, British researchers say.

Scientists at Imperial College London said those suffering from multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy or spinal cord injuries could soon be using computers with a new device that costs less than $60.

Writing in the Journal of Neural Engineering, the researchers reported testing an eye-tracking device and "smart" software by having people play the classic computer game Pong without any kind of hand controller.

In addition to being able to play the game, users were able to browse the Web and write e-mails "hands-off," they said.

The device uses two fast video game console cameras attached outside of the line of vision to constantly take pictures of the eye, working out where the pupil is pointing and exactly where a person is looking on the screen.

The researchers calibrated the system so that a simple wink would represent a mouse click.

"This is frugal innovation; developing smarter software and piggy-backing existing hardware to create devices that can help people worldwide independent of their healthcare circumstances," researcher Aldo Faisal said.