Gaze-Tracking Software

[complacent]

Interesting idea grabbed from slashdot.

"Two years ago computer security expert Bill Anderson read about scientific research on how the human eye moves as it reads and processes text and images. 'This obscure characteristic... suddenly struck me as (a solution to) a security problem,' says Anderson. With the help of a couple of software developers, Anderson developed a software program called Chameleon that tracks a viewer's gaze patterns and only allows an authorized user to read text on the screen, while everyone else sees gibberish. Chameleon uses gaze-tracking software and camera equipment to track an authorized reader's eyes to show only that one person the correct text. After a 15-second calibration period in which the software learns the viewer's gaze patterns, anyone looking over that user's shoulder sees dummy text that randomly and constantly changes. To tap the broader consumer market, Anderson built a more consumer-friendly version called PrivateEye, which can work with a simple Webcam to blur a user's monitor when he or she turns away. It also detects other faces in the background, and a small video screen pops up to alert the user that someone is looking at the screen. 'There have been inventions in the space of gaze-tracking. There have been inventions in the space of security,' says Anderson. 'But nobody has put the two ideas together, as far as we know.'"

It is an interesting idea, albeit only useful to casual observers... And yes, I know, privacy screens thwart about %90 percent of this.

Is it a bit of a "solution looking for a problem"? Yes

Is it cool tech? Hells yes!

EDIT: Can you imagine some of the support calls for this product?

[Sabre]

Pretty cool technology! I wouldn't mind having this in some environments

[Libra Monkee]

I wouldn't mind having this in some environments

i.e. aeroplanes

Very interesting! I remember seeing a report about a year or two ago about using a person's gaze pattern for a variety of security implementations as well as a lie detector. I wonder if this is the love child of that research.

[ElZorro]

I've seen it demo'd. Its pretty incredible. It takes time to get used to, it basically creates a 'window' of clear text that moves with your eye, and it takes awhile for your eye not to skip forward or back as the text changes from clear to scrambled.