eyeBlog

cottonbuds writes "Researchers at Human Media Lab, Queen's University in Canada presented the ECSGlasses: eye contact sensing glasses that report when people look at their wearer. When eye contact is detected, the glasses stream this information to appliances to inform these about the wearer's engagement. According to HML.Blog the ECSGlasses uses a wearable, wireless Eye-Contact Sensor (1.3MB .jpg) to gauge when the user receives eye-contact from an onlooker. eyeBlog uses this information to record and publish face-2-face conversations without dividing the user's attention between the event being recorded, and the device being used to record it. Moreover, because eyeBlog uses eye-contact to start and stop recording, users do not need to sift through hours of footage to find interesting segments. If you are the academic type you can read the paper (2.2MB .pdf), otherwise the video in .mpg (1:49min, 320x240, 7.5MB), or mp4 (1:49min, 320x240, 4.9MB) should explain everything. Video Mirror: .mp4 .mpg."

Comments

why bother

[CaptnMArk]

I am often able to sense eye contact without any sensors at all. Anyone else?

Re:why bother

[Johnathon_Dough]

I am often able to sense eye contact without any sensors at all.

Yeah me too.

However...
What I can't do is record a long series of video and remember the time stamp of when eye contact was made.
Oh, I also can't make an appliance turn on or perform a specific task by looking at it.

But yeah, I can tell if someone is looking at me.

Re:why bother

[Frogmanalien]

All a bit scary looking to be honest... But seriously, the technology seems to be technology for technologies sake (OK, I do realise I'm posting on Slashdot)- what's stopping u from pressing a button to indicate that the conversation is worth recording? As it is I make eye contact with shop staff all the time- but I sure as hell don't need to have access to digital copies of my interactions with my green-grocers! Eye contact is over rated- much of the important and beautiful moments are the ones where u don't see the way someone else is looking at you. In meetings for instance I would rather have complete access to all of the information rather than the bits where people have specifically made eye contact with me (which, being a lowly pleb in the world, is very rare- but it doesn't mean I don't need to be at the meeting!). Plus- whilst I like the idea of an appliance that acts of my looks, I'm sure it'd drive me mad- I look at my TV all the time- but then I resist the temptation to switch it on because I know it'll be crap- god only knows how much extra rubbish I'll watch if I can switch a TV on with a simple look! Plus, looking doesn't mean I want something- or, more important, doesn't indicate what I want - I might look at my TV with the hope of seeing something important- but I also look at it in anger sometimes with a desire to mute it! Context is important- and this device doesn't capture enough information to make it useful.

Good, but..

[jayminer]

Very interesting behavior, but social and ethical rules may not be tolerable to such device.

Like...

[ArbiterOne]

Could we be seeing something similar soon to the eye-scanning of Minority Report? This could definitely be used as an ID-device.
Or what about the advertising potential? If someone looks at a particular type of ad repeatedly, that builds a profile of the person's interests.

Re:almost what i want

[TheLoneCabbage]

it's a clever idea, not a terribly advanced peice of technology. You could probably do the same thing with much fewer, and smaller components.

It could be made much more inconspicuous.

Eye contact?

[Gary Destruction]

How does it determine eye contact? Someone could appear to be looking at you. But in reality, you could easily be in their line of sight. It doesn't necessarily mean they're looking at you, let alone making eye contact.

Focus-follows-sight

[domQ]

Can't wait for these googles to be plugged into my window manager!

Who wants to look at eyes?

[Anonymous Coward]

How about taking a photo every time you're transfixed on an amazing chest or bottom? That's a blog a lot more people would appreciate :)

Re:Similar items...

[moz25]

Funny... the first item I saw when I clicked your WIRED link was "Getting Naked for Big Brother".

Coincidental or not... any technology will eventually be (attempted to be) used for something that involves people being naked :-)

Neat!

[carvalhao]

I find that this technology actually makes a lot of sense in a business environment, specially if coupled with some sort of retina light beam scanning technology. I can envision a meeting where businessmen, while negotiating, could access relevant information about the person they were talking to on the fly, including important corporate information.

There are, however, two major showstoppers. One is the matter of privacy. I may not be interested that everyone I gaze at gets an instant picture of me without my authorization, specially because I'm not all that pretty ;). Second, in societies and cultures where eye contact is just not important or is considered as intrusive an menacing, such as in Japan, the system would just not be functional

But still... great for nerds who can't really tell if a woman is giving them the eye... perhaps with a computer telling them so they'll be more confident ;)

Evasive, shifty-eyes not recorded

[Ra5pu7in]

I find that a lot of people do not maintain eye contact during a conversation - particularly in a situation with many people around. First of all, there are those who will make eye contact as they say hello, but from then on their eyes are scanning the crowd for people they haven't greeted. Secondly, those who are shy or uncomfortable tend to meet eyes rarely and look down more than at the person they are speaking to. Finally, some people just don't seem to be able to hold eye contact -- it is threatening, or some such thing -- and might glance once or twice in your direction while talking. Seems like an awful lot of conversations to lose. (OTOH, great-aunt Josephine is fully willing to maintain eye contact - and physical contact - while she tells you all about her physical ailments. Ack!)