Chinese researchers develop blink-powered eye-tracking device to help paralyzed patients control wheelchairs

JINAN -- Researchers in China have developed a self-powered eye-tracking system that harnesses energy from blinking to help paralyzed individuals control devices like wheelchairs, offering a potential breakthrough for assistive technology.

Self-powered human-computer interaction systems are attracting significant attention for their sustainable, sensitive and stable performance, driven by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence.

The system, as reported in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science this month, uses a nanogenerator called TENG to capture the minute friction generated between the eyelid and the eyeball during a blink. This harvested energy powers the sensor, eliminating the need for an external battery.

Dubbed ET-TENG, the device has been created by teams from Qingdao University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and it can detect subtle eye movements with high precision. It was shown to identify a minimum eyeball deflection angle of 2 degrees with 99 percent accuracy. The gadget also functions in total darkness, overcoming a limitation of traditional camera-based eye trackers that rely on external light sources.

The technology could allow individuals with conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), who retain eye movement, to operate computers or wheelchairs, according to the study.

Beyond medical assistance, the team suggested that the system could have applications in space exploration for hands-free control panels, in smart vehicles for driver fatigue monitoring, and in making virtual reality headsets more lightweight and energy-efficient.

Its high sensitivity, simple structure and strong anti-interference capability provide technical support for promoting applications in the field of human-computer interactions, according to the researchers.