The EyeWriter project combines research with creative technology to empower people with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leaves patients almost entirely physically paralyzed—except for their eyes.
An eyewriter at work / eyewriter.org image
An eyewriter is essentially a pair of glasses with low-cost eye tracking software that allows people with ALS to create art using only their eyes. The ongoing project was devised by Members of Free Art and Technology (FAT), OpenFrameworks, the Graffiti Research Lab, and The Ebeling Group communities. They joined forces with with LA graffiti artist Tony Quan, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2003.
According to the EyeWriter website, “The long-term goal is to create a professional/social network of software developers, hardware hackers, urban projection artists and ALS patients from around the world who are using local materials and open source research to creatively connect and make eye art.”
Up close and personal with an eyewriter / eyewriter.org image
The EyeWriter project even has a DIY component to its website. You can build your own EyeWriter like this:
DIY EyeWriter / eyewriter.org image
