The 2012 edition of Berlin's IFA trade show had companies from all over the world putting their best foot forward. But it was Haier that would walk away with the best innovator award, if there were any at all. In this trance induced by all the technology on display, Haier displayed an innovative TV on its stand that elminates the use and need of a remote control. Called the Gaze TV for now, it allows users to control the television with their eyes. Though this technology is still in the 'prototype phase', it holds the potential to change lives by offering an alternative to the conventional remote control. Existing smart TVs in the market offer hand gestures and voice controls as an alternate option.
This new TV by the Chinese company employs the eye tracking unit engineered by Tobii, a Swedish firm. But it is not integrated into the TV set, instead a sensor device is placed between the viewer and the screen. The sensor requires caliberation with the TV when being used for the time, and then all you need to do is command. Then the user needs to stare at the top or bottom of the screen to activate the user-interface. After that, one can surf through the options like adjust the volume, switch channels or other functions by looking at the designated icons.
By keeping a track of the shift in gaze and blinks given, the sensor allows the user to point, zoom, scroll, select and navigate features. But it has been configured in such a manner that standard blinking does not affect the control. However, the device needs to be caliberated to each user before use, and the use of glasses tends to affect its accuracy. With such awe-inspiring technology in offer, all that remains to be seen is whether this one enhances comfort or breeds problems.
