CeBIT 2011: Lenovo’s Eye-Controlled Laptop Steals the Show

March 1st, 2011 by K. T. Bradford

CeBIT 2011 is now underway in Hanover, Germany, and the first day isn’t quite as tablety as the pre-show news made us think. In fact, one of the trends emerging is the rise of alternate methods of controlling for your laptop. Check out today’s top stories:

The Eyes Have It

Swedish company Tobii Technology is showed off a really cool eye-tracking technology that will allow users to move their cursor just by looking at the desired section of the screen. The sensor can pin-point the area on the display you’ve aimed your eye via a combination of infrared light, algorithms, and a high-frequency optical sensor. It can even sense where you’re looking if you’re moving around. The demo is running on a Lenovo Windows 7 prototype laptop, but it won’t be coming to market anytime soon. Engadget went hands on with the technology and came away impressed.

Read more @ Engadget

Reading Your Mind

Meanwhile, Austrian company Guger Technologies (g.tec) is taking a different approach to a similar goal. Their intendiX system reads EEG signals from the brain which are then interpreted by a Windows app. Users will be able to “type” short messages by simply looking at the letter they want on the screen. But unlike the eye-tracking sensor from Tobii, G.tec’s system instead looks for brain wave patterns to determine which letter the user wants. The setup looks a bit more complex as well, as user have to wear a head covering attached to some hardware.

Read more @ PCWorld

Wire-Free World

Fujitsu is really serious about cutting the cords. All of them. In what they claim is a first, the company is showing off a monitor that not only has no cord going to the computer but also no cord going to an outlet. It utilizes wireless USB for imaging and the power comes from a new wireless charging technology called SUPA. This new standard allows for charging over a large surface area. So your desk won’t just have specific spots where you place gadgets — you’ll be able to put them anywhere and get your juice. I’m a fan of this idea, and of the wireless USB… as long as it works. Check out Engadget’s hands-on:

Read more @ Engadget

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