I’d like to say a big thank you to Zac Wood from ‘The Brainary’ for coming to Perth Adult Speech Pathology on Friday 31 August 2018, to demonstrate the latest addition to eye-gaze technology, the ‘EyegazeEdge’. It was an amazing experience. This system enables clients with limited speech and poor hand control to use their eyes to operate a key board to ‘speak’ or to write.
Nothing is attached to the user’s head or body. A small camera mounted under the Eyegaze screen takes 60 pictures per second of the user’s eye, whilst image processing software analyses those pictures to determine where on the screen (i.e. what letter or picture) the user is looking at. In this way, the user can build up words, phrases and sentences which are spoken out loud using a Bluetooth speaker or written down onto their computer.
The Eyegaze Edge could help people with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), brain injury, stroke and many other conditions.
It is yet another option for Speech Pathologists and individuals to consider when making decisions about communication aids. Perth Adult Speech Pathology and The Brainary are both registered NDIS Providers and can help further with assessment.
