Pushing Boundaries: Students develop eye-activated controller for people of all abilities
With the blink of an eye, users of a hands-free device can control an electric wheelchair, operate a drone or lock the front door, regardless of their physical capacities.
The six CU Boulder electrical and computer engineering students who make up the Volt Vision team
Volt Vision is the brainchild of a team of six CU Boulder electrical and computer engineering students who are developing a wireless, wearable product that allows users to control machines and devices by using their eyes to send commands. Their goal is to develop a product based on accessibility for everyone.
An adhesive sensor placed on the temple allows users to control a device through the movement of their eyes.
“Tech companies tend to forget certain people in their markets,” said Bader Albader, a team member of Volt Vision. “We’re trying to show that technology can be used to not only help and support people with disabilities but can also be accessible to everyone to use in a range of applications.”
The device, called the Vee Vee, interprets the direction of the eye movement and sends an instruction to an external machine that’s paired with the wearable device through a Bluetooth signal. The Vee Vee merges human touch with technology for human-to-machine integration.
Their vision for the Vee Vee is to use the human body as a command center, where bio-signals become the only remote control needed. Although similar devices exist on the market, the Vee Vee allows users to manipulate their environment through signals produced by the electrodes rather than just be observers.
“There’s a trend in the tech world to lean toward the internet of things, to be connected to everything,” said Marisa Edwinson, a Volt Vision team member, “Smart homes. Smart cars. Your phone talks to your front door. We are trying to break into that market and not leave anyone behind, but you have control over what it does.”
The team hopes to have the prototype ready for testing by the end of January. Local robotics company Sphero has donated three of its high-end robots for use in the team’s final product demonstration.
The other members of Volt Vision are Ahmed Algallaf, Alexis Deukam, Walter Wright and Muhammad Haffizi Abdul Rahman.
For more information about the project, see the Volt Vision crowdfunding page.
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