Gaze Controlled Robot Goes Where You Look
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Monday, 8 of December , 2008 at 2:46 am
On the spectrum of innovative ways of controlling robots, I’d put vocal control near the top, followed perhaps by step control. Neither are especially practical, though. An innovative method of robot control that I could totally get used to is vision control, where hey presto, the robot just goes wherever you look.
The robot in the above video is based on nothing more than a Lego NXT system. A webcam streams data back to a computer, where a second webcam watches you watching the webcam image on the computer. Got it? Cool. Software on the computer analyzes the video to find your pupils, and it extrapolates where you’re looking, and sends the robot in that direction. In principle, the tracking software doesn’t have to rely on just your eyes… Blinking or moving your head or making any other distinctive facial motions (a Spock-style eyebrow raise, for example) could be used to control other features on the bot. Furthermore, eye control leaves both of your hands entirely free to work things like manipulator arms and hands.
If I were these guys, I’d go straight to DARPA for some additional funding, since the ability to control a robot without having to put down your gun seems like a nice feature. Oh wait, they’re Danish… Damn. We’d better just surrender now.
[ Gaze Interaction ] VIA [ Engadget ]
Comments (2)
Category: Research
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Comment by Ironman
Made Monday, 8 of December , 2008 at 11:28 am
mwuahahaha now i’ll never have to leave my room! i can just send my robot to classes!
Comment by Ironman
Made Tuesday, 9 of December , 2008 at 10:25 am
another question…
i don’t blink when i look at my computer screen.
can i get this algorithm so that i can tell when the blink period has been too long so that i can have a pop up tell me to blink.
