There were a number of reasons this Eyegaze seems so much better than our Tobii. First, was the calibration process. It took a lot of trial and error with the Tobii to get it calibrated. And then, the least bit of repositioning in the chair required a tedious re-calibration. With the Eyegaze, we first moved the tablet into a position that was comfortable for Darcey to read. Then, the camera (mounted below the tablet) was pointed towards Darcey's eye and focused. You could easily tell it was pointed correctly as you could see her face in one small square and her iris in the other small square next to it. Somehow, it knows to lock onto the iris. The calibration process then begins and one follows dots that come onto the screen as they appear. This calibrates the eye to the location on the screen and takes about 30 seconds. Having watched this process, I believe I could get Darcey re-calibrated in less than 2 minutes if I needed to.
The software layout is intuitive and easy to use. This was not training, today... just a demo. But Darcey was typing notes, ringing bells, opening email, accessing the internet and browsing Facebook in mere minutes. It was extremely accurate. When she pointed her eyes at something, the cursor was right there. When compared to the tremendous frustration that accompanied Darcey's weeks of unsuccessfully trying to use the Tobii, the Eyegaze was the clear winner. We have elected to get a stand with it that will work with Darcey's wheelchair and with her in bed. It is nice that the one stand is adjustable enough to work with both environments.
We offered to buy one of these... but the Eyegaze rep (James Brinton) that we were working with said, "Let me see what I can do with one of my corporate sponsors, first." I'm not absolutely sure, but I think this is what happened. I believe that James got his corporate sponsor to buy one of the Eyegaze devices so that LC Technologies (the mfr) could donate the device to our local ALS Association Loaner Locker... with the understanding that it would be loaned to us if today's demo proved successful. So rather than to have to purchase one (our insurance would not pay for it for another year), they worked enough magic so as to cause one to become available to our local loaner locker. Seriously... in today's day and age... how very cool is that!?!
Jim