w 8 | ive from the Labs cnrsI InternatIonal magazIne L Medicine Anopticalillusion,forwhichnopracticalusehadpreviouslybeenfound, isattheheartofaneweyewritingsystemdevelopedbyaCNRSresearchteam. Writing withyour Eyes BY eddydelcher A videocan be viewed on the online Escreen have existed for years, but > www.cnrs.fr/cnrsmagazineversion of the magazine.ye writing systems that let usersselect letters and symbols on a EOL, short for “Eye OnLine,” goes much further. The system, developed by Jean Lorenceau and his team at the CRICM,1 allows subjects to draw with their eyes as if using a pen on paper. The main chal- lenge in creating such a device lies in the eye’s inability to generate smooth trajec- tories in front of a static background, resulting instead in saccadic movements. This is where the optical illusion, known as reverse-phi,2 comes into play. Reverse-phi is achieved when an image and its negative are shown in rapid LLARd succession, creating the optical illusion of y movement. Lorenceau found this tech- uRTES O nique could be used to create a seemingly © moving background, in turn making q researcher Jeanlorenceau wearing the oculometer that he developed to convert smooth eye movements possible.3 In his pupil movements into handwriting (visible on screen). system, several hundred disks flickering paralysis express themselves in a more at a frequency of 10 to 15 Hz are displayed independent manner through personal- Paris on a screen. Any eye movement ized writing and signatures. It could also produced while looking at it triggers help dyslexic children become more the illusion and tricks users into believing aware of their eye movements when read- Environment An oculometer tracks pupil movements, standing of how dyslexia works to fight it Citizen Science-ing, in turn providing a better under the screen is moving with their eyes. which software recreates on a computer more effectively. screen. Three to five 30-minute training “We are still at an early stage of devel- sessions are needed to control eye move- opment, as several technical issues have BYfuI leeluk ments and write letters. “It takes some to be resolved before an eye-controlled effort as one must first see and select the tablet is produced, but it is theoretically wIn 2010, ordinary citizens teamed up illusion as a support for the eyes possible. In the future, surgeons could use with naturalistsfromtheCERSP1and before attempting to draw letters. eye control as a third hand, for example, the OPIE2 to launch the Photographic The concentration required can also be or tennis players could use it to better SurveyofFlowerVisitors(SPIPOLL).3This tiring, and difficult actions, such as cross- track a ball,” concludes Lorenceau. citizen science project is France’s first ing the letter ‘t’, may not be correctly 01.Centrederecherchedel’institutducerveauetdela country-wideobservatoryonpollinators, processed by the computer at this early moelleépinière(CNRS/uPMC/Inserm). insectsthathelpfertilizeplants.Crucial 02. Anstis,“Phimovementasasubtractive stage,” explains Lorenceau. But with process,”Vision Research,1970.10:1411–30. to biodiversity and crop production, enough training, users can develop au- 03.eyemovements,”Current Biology,2012.22:1506-9. pollinators need to be monitored aspursuitsmoothwithwriting“CursiveLorenceau, tomatisms to ease the process and reach urbanization and intensive farming handwriting speeds. contactInformatIon: threaten their habitats. SPIPOLL’s first The system will soon be tested by crIcm, Paris. findings, recently analyzed by CERSP- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. It > jean.lorenceau@upmc.fr OPIEresearchers,suggestwaystoboostJean Lorenceau could help people affected by limb insectpopulations.4
CIM28
To see the actual publication please follow the link above