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Video games are tackling mental health with mixed results
Mental illness occupies a strange place in video games. After centuries of misdiagnosis and misinterpretation, we've begun to comprehend the reasons behind disorders and their prevalence in modern society. Recent research shows that roughly one in five American adults suffers from some form of mental health issue each year. When it comes to the media, though, these conditions are frequently misrepresented and misunderstood, and video games in particular lean on lazy stereotypes and tropes. Mental illness is used as a motivation for villainy, thrown in as an "interesting" game mechanic or mischaracterized as the sum and whole of a character's personality. There's a worryingly pervasive stigma surrounding mental conditions, and as one of our most dominant art forms, video games need to do a better job in portraying them.
This system can tell if workers are lying by looking at their eyes
Eye-based lie detection has long been the stuff of research and science fiction, but it's about to become a practical reality in the office. Converus is releasing EyeDetect, a hardware and software combo that helps companies find out if their workers are on the level. The system revolves around an SMI-made camera that monitors pupil dilation as well as the positions of the eyes and head. If you look shifty when answering questions, your supervisors will likely know within minutes. It's not a perfect system; Converus claims 85 percent accuracy, which could allow for occasional false positives. We'll know EyeDetect's real-world usefulness very soon, though, as it's launching in Mexico this April.
SMI launches Eye Tracking Glasses 2.0 with smartphone-based recorder (video)
Remember SMI's Eye Tracking Glasses? They use a pair of small cameras on the rim to follow your gaze, allowing corporate and academic types to to see exactly what consumers and other subjects are focused on. Now the German company has launched Eye Tracking Glasses 2.0, an update that brings a slimmer design, instant setup, 60Hz eye-tracking performance and a smartphone-based recorder -- currently a customized Samsung Galaxy S4. Along with a bit less dorky look, the new electronics allow for much smoother tracking and shorter gaze time perception, according to SMI. There's no word on pricing or availability for businesses, but there is a rather dry video after the break.
SMI, others to use Champions League final as eye-tracking experiment
It may be the most watched sporting event, but SMI's more interested in how we watch the Champions League final than the game itself. The eye-tracking firm, in participation with the KMRC and University of Tübingen, will observe how 61 fans watch the Dortmund/Bayern tussle using its RED-m cameras. The project aims to discover if supporters of rival clubs perceive matches differently and, by tracking their eye movement, learn how those perceptions are formed. Of course, given our violently hysterical reactions when Didier Drogba sunk the winning penalty in last year's game, the researchers might have difficulty keeping the participants still enough to monitor.
'Talking Places' is the Google Glass of tour guides, we go hands-on (video)
SensoMotoric Instruments is a company that builds eye-tracking goggles for research and teaching projects, and the DFKI is the German center for artificial intelligence. Together, the pair has cooked up 'Talking Places,' a Google Glass-esque concept that is designed to help people navigate unfamiliar locations. Thanks to a combination of cutting-edge hardware and software, we were taken on a tour of a model village and were surprised to see that the unit offered up plenty of information about our surroundings. Interested in how it's done? Head on past the break.%Gallery-180584%
SMI Eye-Tracking 3D Glasses use rim-based cameras to adjust perspective
Can 3D glasses get any less fashionable? Of course they can! And here's some proof. Today, SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI) teased its new Eye-Tracking 3D Glasses, which use a pair of small cameras mounted to the eyeglass rim to keep tabs on your gaze, adjusting perspective as you look about a scene. The rig uses ActiveEye technology from Volfoni, and can detect eye distance as well in order to provide a 3D-viewing experience that's optimized for each user. Adding some optional hardware, including optical targets (as seen in the video after the break), can enable 6D head tacking support, for an even more immersive experience. Naturally, the solution is a bit cumbersome, and while pricing hasn't been announced, we don't expect it to come cheap -- it's definitely something you'd be more likely to see implemented as part of a virtual reality system, rather than a device you'd use at home. So, while you may never see such a product in the flesh, you can still get an idea of how it'll work in the video after the break.
