eye

Eye-popping illusion lets you write with gaze alone

Last month, a paralyzed man sent his first tweet using eye movements. A new technology out of France could allow him not only to type, but to draw and sign his name in cursive on a computer.

The technique, described in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology, relies on a novel head-mounted display that uses a camera to track eye movements and then relays that movement data to a computer.

Discovered by a Paris scientist studying optical illusions, the technique tricks the neuromuscular machinery into overcoming a natural phenomenon known as saccadic eye movements. … Read more

Google-style glasses prof turns up the heat on McDonald's

Many who dream of adorning their faces with technology were stunned to hear that Google-type glasses might not be welcome at McDonald's.

Steve Mann, a professor at the University of Toronto, claimed that he had worn his Digital Eye Glass while ordering himself a Ranch Wrap in Paris.

He insisted that the employees did not take kindly to them. He claimed that they had tried to take them off him.

Now McDonald's has declared: "Non."

The company issued a statement, which reads in part: "Several staff members involved have been interviewed individually, and all independently … Read more

Why do my eyes hurt while watching TV?

CNET reader Jerry asks:

I recently bought a 40-inch LED LCD. I like it a lot, but over the past few months I've noticed my eyes hurt after watching the TV. Mostly it seems to happen at night. This can't be normal, right? Before I spend money on an eye doctor (I've never been), I figured I'd ask if there was something about the TV that was causing it. I never had this problem with my old TV.An interesting, and surprisingly common question.

Google-style glasses led to attack in McDonald's, professor says

I know those Google glasses make everyone but Sergey Brin look quite odd.

But could they look so odd as to cause someone to rip them off your head?

This question is reverberating around the minds of furious futurists after Steve Mann, a professor at the University of Toronto, was allegedly assaulted in a Paris McDonald's -- by people who allegedly work for McDonald's.

I know that working at McDonald's is extremely stressful. However, Mann's tale, which he committed to his blog, tells of a situation that has caused some indigestion.

Mann says he was wearing … Read more

Smartphone display could improve eye diagnoses

Smartphones could soon be used not only to view complex inner-eye photos for diagnoses, but also to take, send, and view pictures of damage to the front of the eye or to eyelids, according to a new study out of Emory University.

Smartphones may even make passe those annual eye doctor visits if their imaging is good enough for diagnosing and planning treatment for a range of eye conditions -- good news for those who, like myself, prefer to perform as many chores as possible (think shopping) from the comfort of my home.

The researchers at Emory collected data on … Read more

The 404 1,089: Where we go the extra mile (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 show:

- Soccer to adapt goal line, ball-tracking technology.

- Friday's history lesson: AOL's longest running employee on the history of AOL chat rooms.

- British Airways will google passengers in preflight.

- Hillbilly Alabamians celebrate Fourth of July by shooting guns into air.

- Best Buy lays off 650 Geek Squad employees nationwide.

Bathroom break video: Super Moonwalking!… Read more

Earth goes 3D

Think of Google Earth as a sort of souped-up version of Google Maps, but with more of a focus on life-like renderings of locations, rather than typical roadmaps. With google Earth, you can virtually fly to pretty much anywhere on the planet, zooming in and out of cities and streets to your heart's desire.

While Google Earth lets you manually navigate to an area of interest (via zoom and swipe), the more precise method is to use the search bar. Here, you can type in a full address, just a city name, business name, or even a keyword (like &… Read more

Swoop around the globe like a superhero

Think of Google Earth as a sort of souped-up version of Google Maps, but with more of a focus on lifelike renderings of locations, rather than typical road maps. With Google Earth, you can virtually fly to pretty much anywhere on the planet, zooming in and out of cities and streets to your heart's desire.

Apple's Eyes Free coming to Chevy Spark, Sonic

Apple announced last week at the 2012 WWDC that many automakers have signed on to integrate Apple's Siri in their vehicles, but few have said which cars or when. However, two compacts from General Motors may be among the first to include the new "Eyes Free" feature in its vehicles, reports blog GM Authority.

The Chevrolet Spark and Chevrolet Sonic will be the first GM vehicles to get this latest infotainment feature. The two vehicles are already available with MyLink, an infotainment system that integrates with the driver's smartphone. MyLink leverages the handset's Internet connection … Read more

What iOS 6 tells us about the next iPhone

Apple's WWDC may not have resulted in an iPhone announcement, but it provided the next best thing: a detailed look at iOS 6.

It doesn't come out until the fall, and will only work on the iPhone 3GS and models after that, but a lot of iOS 6 features will be welcomed by any iPhone owner.

New versions of mobile software (be it iOS or Android) can often be as feature-packed and exciting as new phone models, and frequently kick a lot of new value down to older hardware.

The question is, can we look into the new features of iOS 6 to peer upstream at what Apple's next iPhone might be like? I'll try. Here are my best guesses.… Read more