Eye-B Pod

This afternoon I visited my friend who is being participated in the exhibition "Research and Development Expo" at the JCC. This is the umpteenth-time for them to participate in technology themed exhibition. This started when looking for ideas for thesis...

Brief history of Eye-B Pod
On our campus Bina Nusantara University, Computer Science majors are allowed for theses in a team (maximum three people). So my three friends namely Stanley Audrey, Josephine Klara, and Victor Kurnia intends to make writing theses wonderful and different from others, in accordance with our specialization, ie AI (Artificial Intelligence). From there arose the idea was to create a device pointer that is different from the others, these tools will allow computer users to move the mouse simply by moving their eyes only.

Computers would not be something foreign to the current generation. Almost everyone needs a computer to facilitate the daily work done, or just looking for entertainment. And of course for computer users, the device pointer to be a very important role in operating the computer. This time have so many kind of devices used to move the pointer cursor on the computer, the bookmark tool that has been circulated widely in the community including a mouse, trackball, lightpen, touch screen, joy stick, and so forth. Each pointer devices has advantages and disadvantages of each. But there is one similarity between all pointer devices mentioned above, which requires all members of the user's body movements in the run, the hand.

It's easy for normal people to move the pointer tool. But for those who have physical disabilities or those who can not control the hands properly for several reasons such as that experienced paralysis, arm injury, and neurological disorders such as Parkinson's, etc., it becomes a constraint in the use of existing pointer devices .
Based on 2009 statistical data obtained from the Ministry of Social Affairs, in the course of the 14th province of Indonesia that has been recorded there are about ± 850 000 people with disability in the arm, and also according to WHO statistics, in 2008 approximately 80-10% of human population in the world suffer from disabilities . Although existing laws regulating the disabled people, in fact they are still excluded from the world of work, because they are considered limitations prevented them from working. But in fact, behind their physical limitations, they still have the same capabilities with those of healthy bodies. This problem comes from the desire of people with disabilities to be able to obtain equal rights in various areas, including ease of accessing information can be obtained through the computer and the Internet.

This has encouraged my friends to develop a different pointer device from conventional pointer device that already exists, hence conducted numerous studies to produce devices using hand gestures pointing to a minimum or even no need to use hand movements at all.

Finally it was decided to use the eye as a substitute for hand movement. This is based on the location and characteristics of the eye itself. Eyes located on the face and its characteristics can be easily identified as compared with the physical characteristics of members of other faces. Based on the study eye is an instrument that responds when it first senses the first time a user will perform the operation on a computer using a pointer device. With such a statement is expected to use the eye will respond more quickly in the mobilization of the cursor.And was born Eye-B Pod which stands for Eye-Based Pointing Device.

Eye-B Pod Logo

Eye-B Pod
Instead of using the hand, eye movement is used to control the cursor on the computer screen. How to use Eye-B-PoD is by using eye movements are captured by the input device is the webcam. Users can simply look to certain partsof the screen to direct your cursor where you want to go. If you want to perform processes such as the click of a mouse, users can simply do blink with one eye when the cursor has been located at the target.
For normal people, Eye-B Pod can also improve efficiency in using computers, because users need not be too dependent on the conventional mouse, while using eye movements, the user's hand can still perform a variety of other activities such as writing, typing, or drinking coffee.

For now Eye-B Pod consists of four features:

1. Automatic Face And Eye Detection: when a user is located in front of the webcam software that has been equipped with Eye-B Pod, automatic face and eyes are detected instantly
2. Smart Face Detector dominant: for example there are several faces in front of the webcam, only the dominant face can be captured by the Eye-B Pod.
3. False Positive Blink Detector: to be able to distinguish when the user wants to click (with a wink) or just normal blink.
4. Auto Sensitivity Calibration: calibrate automatically reset if the Eye-B Pod loss of eye blink detection.

Eye-B-Pod succeeded in becoming the second winner (merit) Indonesia ICT Awards (INAICTA 2009) for the category of Research and Development. This software continues in the development stage for the addition of other features and improvements in some parts.

Eye-B Pod Team: Victor Kurnia, Josephine Klara, Stanley Audrey

Congratulations, my friends..  Maybe you all did not know that I'm very proud of you guys... d (^^,) b