With the new GameFace software, the mouse should be controlled by head movements and facial expressions. In this way, people with physical disabilities can freely play video games.
Developments related to artificial intelligence are repeatedly criticized. Now a new project has come onto the market that promises good things: Google has released software that paraplegics can use to operate computers and play video games, and it’s free of charge.
GameFace software was co-developed with Lance Carr, a gamer from Colorado, USA. He is paralyzed from the waist down due to a rare form of muscular dystrophy. “For me, video games are my connection to the world,” he says in the YouTube video presenting the project. He lost all his expensive equipment in a house fire and has not been able to play since.
Just a webcam
All users need other than the software itself is a webcam. Thanks to artificial intelligence, facial features are recognized and interpreted. The mouse can be controlled with facial expressions and head movements – and is even so precise that Lance can write his name in cursive. The software works by creating a network of 468 points on the face, which is then translated into mouse movements and mouse clicks.
“Muscular dystrophy is taking away my skills, this new development is giving me a skill. It’s the first time I’ve gained something, in a physical sense,” explains Carr. Like Carr, as many people as possible should be able to benefit from it, which is why Google makes the software publicly available to everyone. In addition, the software should not store any data for facial recognition.
(luv)