Gaze-and voice-guided computers
The I-EYE project studied and exploited eye tracking and speech recognition technologies aimed at browsing information in several output modalities, such as audio, text, animation and video. The result is iTutor, an innovative, wearable computer platform prototype for performing, tracking, and monitoring maintenance activities close to any machine. The prototype operates through interaction with eyes and voice. A simple look or a word pronounced aloud instead of a click on a computer mouse could, in the near future, suffice to give orders to a computer. iTutor is appropriate in industrial settings where users must keep their hands free to work with equipment. Maintenance officers can use the system to access online service manuals, electrical and mechanical schemas, maintenance procedures and other multimedia information either by eye movements or speech requests. The iTutor platform is at an advanced prototype stage representing a maintenance support system for industrial application. It includes all the basic functionalities that such an application must offer, including multimedia and multilingual abilities. More functionalities could be added to advanced versions of the prototype, and specialised and customised services could be built in the future versions. There is a need for further research and development activities on managing three-dimensional (3D) contents in a context-aware, virtual or augmented reality environment. iTutor could be effectively applied, for example, in manufacturing and maintenance of automotive plants, electrical power generation equipment or commercial aircraft. It could also be applied to maintenance operations in space industry production plants or even the International Space Station. Further research and evolution of iTutor might lead to applications in other market sectors, such as remote maintenance in hazardous environments, architectural design, civil and naval engineering.
