A research team from the IT University has received two prestigious accolades in two weeks. The researchers believe that the attention can open the door to a future where we will be able to manage computers and cell phones with our eyes.

Your hands may become redundant when you use tomorrow's computer or mobile phone. There are indications, indeed, that business has really opened their eyes to eye tracking - or gaze tracking, as it is also called. In just two weeks, the researchers behind open source project ITU Gaze Tracker have been honored by two of the IT industry giants, IBM and Nokia. According to one of the four researchers in the group, Sune Alstrup Johansen, ocular management will become an increasingly common tool in the years to come.

- The commercial systems available today are quite expensive, and what we have done is to develop an inexpensive open-source alternative, which means that it is now accessible to everyone, he says.

Eye Control for 150 DKR
“Everyone” includes the motion impaired, who have difficulty using arms, hands or fingers, who now use ITU Gaze Tracker. The commercial eye tracking systems typically cost between 50,000 and 100,000 DKR, which is a major economic mouthful for many of the physically disabled. This was one of the reasons why the research team set out to develop a cheaper alternative, which today, with 15,000 downloads is used by the motion impaired and other interested parties worldwide.

Using the open-source version of ITU Gaze Tracker requires a standard webcam that can be purchased for around 150 DKR - and this thrilled the jury at IBM Global Entrepreneur Launch Event in such a degree that they awarded the researchers with the IBM entrepreneur support program, "100 days accelerator program”.  The aid consists, among other things, of mentorship and technical support from the world's leading developers, which can prove invaluable when the research team will further develop their product.

Demo in a weekend
About a week later the researchers took part in Mobile Startup Weekend Copenhagen at Nokia where, over the course of a weekend, developed a demo of a mobile phone they could manage with my eyes. The demo was named the competition's best and by that a future where you can send an SMS with your eyes seems to have come closer.

- We are surprised at how far we came on a weekend. My guess is that the first mobile phones with eye control will be on the market in 1-2 years, says Sune Alstrup Johansen, explaining that the last weeks many accolade comes at an opportune moment.

Four members of the group are in fact completing their PhD projects at the IT University, and they're currently seeking investors for further development of their eye tracking technology.

- The awards have really sparked interest among potential investors, and it's really great for us because we need funding to take low-cost eye control to the market, says Sune Alstrup Johansen.

You can see more about ITU Gaze Tracker in this video: http://vimeo.com/itucph/eyetracker

About the IT University
The IT University of Copenhagen has existed since 1999 and is an independent university dedicated to the digital world. There are about 2,000 students and 270 employees. The IT University researches and teaches within a wide spectrum of topics in the field of IT.

Further contact
Sune Alstrup Johansen, 7218 5028
Press Officer Mikkel Svane-Petersen, 2555 0447