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New Display Keeps an Eye On the Viewer
Al writes "Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) have developed an OLED display that doubles as a camera. The idea is to use it in lightweight heads-up displays that track users' eye movements, affording some form of gaze-control. The researchers will demonstrate a prototype at the Society for Information Display conference in San Antonio this week. The current version has a simple monochromatic display: it is 1.25 centimeters on each side, with a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels. The team at Fraunhofer IPMS has also partnered with Novaled, an OLED company that manufactures high-quality white diodes, and plans to make color prototypes using the technology."
Any idea the current price on tinfoil glasses?
And BLAMMO-- Big brother is watching!
In Soviet Russia, screen watches you!
1.25 centimeters- that's half an inch. Perhaps a bit too small yet for use in a monitor- but probably reasonably easy to scale up to the size of a pair of glasses. Incorporating a camera display on the inside of a pair of glasses would make eye tracking much simpler, and reduce any privacy concerns- Even if someone would be watching along with the video stream being captured by the glasses, all there would be to see would be eye movements.
Visit http://ringbreak.dnd.utwente.nl/~mrjb/growingbettersoftware to download your free copy of the book
usersl
The "l" is on the wrong side.
-- BOFH
...They submitted a patent application for something like this in January 2006 see here. Personally I would prefer to use a discreet webcam.
In other news, I have made a prototype flying car in my garage. It doesn't fly yet, but I have put some stylish looking fins on it.
:)
Cool!
I bet most of the researchers came from Soviet Russia.
My thought exactly. FINALLY a story that actually deserves the "bigbrother" tag.
I propose we call it the telescreen. And only a quarter-century late. ;)
It seems they've invented the Telescreen... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telescreen
(sarcasm) I don't know but I am keep thinking about "1984" when I am reading this post. (/sarcasm)
In Soviet Russia...
I remember doing work experience at Philips Research Labs back in the mid nineties and they were working on a similar concept back then - a monitor that doubled as a flatbed scanner. It was based on an lcd monitor, with small gaps between pixels to allow light to pass through to the scanner at the back. The big challenges were getting the focal depth right, and avoiding refraction(?) patterns after the light had passed through the screen portion.
They seemed to have gotten roung that problem by placing the photoreceptors and lcd pixels at the same level. Can't wait to see a monitor sized one.
Something like this may eventually make video conferencing useful. Anyone who has actually video conferenced with someone can attest to the lack of eye contact associated with both parties looking at their screen to see each other, rather than looking at the camera sitting atop their monitor. This lack of eye contact is very annoying, and I'd go so far as to say that it defeats the entire purpose of video conferencing in the first place. A camera positioned directly behind the video conference window fixes this issue entirely.
Once that is resolved, all we have to contend with is the severe bandwidth and latency issues that make most video conferences today an exercise in low quality, laggy futility.
I know eye-tracking is already used extensively in research, and don't quote me on this but I think there has been some R&D going into making an eye-control system for those without the use of their arms or hands.
Telescreens, anyone?
Commando Media behind the screen?
The last thing I need is a flash of Glenn Reynolds little blogger as he stands up after his last post.
And BLAMMO-- Big brother is watching!
Wooooah....you mean widespread proliferation of cameras in the homes of citizens transmitting to and controlled by centralized authorities would allow them to see what you're doing in front of the cameras?
Damn, where'd you learn all that fancy thinking?
The sheep or the herder?
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Just invision this technology in place... Bob is surfing the web for some 'entertaining' pron... He comes across something that strikes his fancy... But Bob doesn't know that the site has been set up by / taken over by someone with nefarious intintions... Bob starts enjoying the site... (Meanwhile, back in the batcave, someone starts recording the NEW "Bob's Amateur Pron Theater" that just started streaming on the WWW......) Brings a whole new concept to the term 'Spycam'.....
Wouldn't it need some kind of lens? Or does it work like a facet eye?
A chance to reintroduce the Monitor Camera Monkey Picture Joke!
They are using this display in head mounted displays, too! http://istar-project.org/
This has already existed for a long time.
Le français vous intéresse?
I always figured this would be the ideal way to make a paper thin Microsoft Surface like interface. No need for rear-projection and a rear-view camera. Not sure whether this can be made cheaper than the capacitative touch surface on, say, an iPhone, but I imagine with time it will be as cheap as active-matrix LCD displays are. Afterall, you already have transistors to drive the pixels, might as well add some photodiodes in there as well for sensing.
I can put my add where you MUST see it!
Is it just me, or would this technology be perfect for active camouflage?
How does it focus without some kind of lens?
Photodetectors are a piece of cake. It's the optics that adds bulk and complexity.
I'd rather watch you than TV
I went with the twowaysampler and maxheadroom tags.
I think I'll add videophone to the list too.
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?