October 7, 2009

I received a pamphlet in the mail from James Gips, a professor at Boston College, whose team has developed a software program (Camera Mouse) allowing people with significant disabilities to use a computer. The software works with the computer's webcam to detect the user's head movements, and moves and clicks the mouse accordingly. Best part -- the software can be downloaded and installed for free! The software currently only works with Windows Vista and XP, although it will run on a Mac that runs Windows. More information about how the program works can be found at the site's FAQ page. The page notes that there are other commercial head-tracking systems (and voice recognition systems for people who can speak) that may work better, but Camera Mouse is free and therefore available to anyone regardless of budget. It might be worth checking out if this is something that could help you or someone you know.