A low-cost full-scale auto eye-tracking system for mobility-impaired patients

In this paper we present and detail the architecture of an effective and low-cost auto eye-tracking device using a camera and software to detect and track the movement of a person's eyes. This approach is commonly used in human-computer interaction (HCI), virtual reality, and gaming applications to improve the user's experience. Nonetheless, the system set forth here aims at empowering mobility-impaired patients particularly those suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Quadriplegia, with the ability of engaging with digital technology by offering them an alternative interface to traditional methods of input such as keyboard, mouse, touchpad, pen, and the like. The designed apparatus' ultimate objective is to externalize the patients' thoughts into commands by means of sheer eye gazes, hence rendering their illness more endurable and extending them with some of their lost autonomy. Some implemented features includes but are not limited to, prompting letters for typing, shapes for drawing, and ultimately, vital gestures for interacting with pertinent devices. Two main differentials of our design reside in its relatively low cost and effectiveness, which makes it both practical and beneficial, particularly for those having low income who would not afford the more sophisticated apparatuses available in the market. The prototype was tested on several patients at a well-renown Lebanese center and the results came unarguably persuasive and propitious.