EyePhone: A mobile EOG-based Human-Computer Interface for assistive healthcare

Human-Computer Interfaces (HCI) allow effective interactions between human being and computers, which is of particular significance to people with disabilities or temporary mobility impairment. In this paper, we propose the EyePhone framework, a mobile HCI that allows users to control mobile phones through intentional eye or facial movements. A proof-of-concept prototype is developed based on a wearable electroencephalograph (EEG) headset and an Android smartphone. Specifically, a graphical window can receive and display continuous EEG data acquired from the headset; a mouse emulator can allow users to move a cursor around the smartphone screen by moving their heads and eyes; and an emergency dialer can allow users to make an emergency phone call through a certain pattern of eye/facial movements. The launching and switching of each functional module are also implemented through predefined head movement patterns, in order to achieve a true “hands-free” environment. The efficacy and efficiency of the proposed EyePhone system is evaluated based on experiments in a variety of scenarios (e.g., sitting, standing, and walking).