X10 - are you looking at me?

Various disabilities restrict the ease with which individuals can operate electronic and ICT devices. X10 is a system for home automation control and consequently lends itself for use by disabled individuals, who particularly have mobility restrictions, to control a wide range of devices although the resultant user interface can be cumbersome. The development of an adequate user-centred interface/control which will allow such an individual easily to operate multiple ICT devices is then a considerable challenge. The development of a technique that utilises a user’s point of gaze to select a particular ICT device for subsequent operation, thereby simplifying the user interface, is described. All ICT devices in the environment are first digitally imaged from different angles to identify them to a computer imaging system. Subsequently each device can be automatically recognised. The user’s eye movements are recorded and their direction of gaze related in real time to the known 3D location of the possible ICT devices so enabling device selection prior to operation. The development of the technique and current ongoing research status are described.