Japanese researchers have developed a technology that can detect the temple movements that accompany winking or blinking. The system is composed of a computer chip and a pair of infrared sensors. Called the “Temple Switch,” the system is small enough that it can be built into the side of a pair of glasses.
The “Temple Switch” could be used to control iPod functions. Closing both eyes for a second will stop the iPod. A blink will start it back up again. A wink in the right eye will fast forward to the next track and a wink of the left eye take it back.
The “Temple Switch” is smart enough to know the difference between ‘natural blinking’ and the deliberate 1-second blinks required to operate a device like an iPod. Kazuhiro Taniguchi, a researcher at the Graduate School of Engineering in Osaka University explains, “Normally you blink an energy-saving manner, very quickly and lightly, but you would close your eyes more firmly to operate the device.”
The developers of the “Temple Switch” hope to see wide spread use of the device when it is released. Besides being used in iPods, the “Temple Switch” could be adapted to operate television sets, room lighting and other household devices. The “Temple Switch” would also be in much demand for professionals who regularly have their hands filled - rock climbers, motorbike drivers and astronauts. The device could also be adapted to aid the disabled.
Mr. Taniguchi states, “There are some people who are incapable of winking on one eye. For those, we can program the system to give a command when they blink twice in a fast sequence.” The different way that the “Temple Switch” can be adapted is one of its strongest features.
Developers at Osaka University plan to begin marketing of the device in two to three years. The “Temple Switch” has all the markings of a breakthrough device. It can benefit a wide range of people ranging from the disabled to astronauts. The “Temple Switch” would also allow people to operate supported devices “hands free.” The “Temple Switch” will be a must have gadget in the near future.
