The publication discusses research into alternative methods of computer control using eye-tracking software.
Several tests were carried out both in closed, lab environments, and casual work environments. Three main methods were explored for screen navigation and interaction: Eye+Mouse, Eye+Key, and Eye+Gaze. It was agreed upon that replacing the mouse completely would be awkward for the user and inefficient (invoking accidental commands, eye jitter, etc.). The list below highlights each method and discusses their benefits and pitfalls.
Eye+Mouse: Involves moving the cursor with eye movements and clicking when necessary. Useful for cutting down time for physical mouse movement across the desk, but awkward combining a haptic event (mouse click) with a natural movement (moving of the eyes).
Eye+Key: Very similar to Eye+Mouse but replacing the mouse with a keyboard button. Useful for eliminating the mouse completely, but there would be a slight learning curve in getting used to selecting items with a keyboard button rather than a mouse.
Eye+Gaze: Involves moving the cursor with eye movements and "gazing" or staring at an item for a set interval (usually 100ms-300ms) in order to select it. Useful for hands-free computing, but having to stop and pause at each item would be tedious.
The article was a great introduction to alternative interaction tools. The author did very well "explaining down" the complicated methods of eye-tracking, and was very thorough explaining and breaking apart each method. The tests seemed a bit limited, however, to simple tasks such as clicking and dragging folders. I would have liked the research to include some more useful tasks such as browsing the Internet or working in a graphics program.