The new launch of Comcast now lets you control your TV with only your eyes! Aside from voice-control, users can now use their gaze like a computer mouse to navigate their TV. To “click,” they can linger on a particular icon or use the “blink mode” of the device where one blink registers the click.
This feature is aimed to help accessibility for people with physical disabilities who are unable to operate the standard remote. It is a huge step ahead for both technology and inclusivity.
Eye-Control Beats Physical Disabilities
People with physical disabilities can now stop worrying about conventional TV remote controls. With eye-control, they can now use their eyes to change the channel, search for a show, or set a recording on their television.
Jimmy Curran, one of the first customers to get the new X1 eye control technology of Comcast, has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This hinders him from normal muscle movement which the eye control technology fixes.
Not only him, but a thousand more people with numerous disabilities such as ALS will be helped with this new technology. As an assistive technology company, Comcast wants to empower its users to live independent lives.
Web-Based Eye Control
X1 eye control is a web-based control that works with existing eye gaze hardware and software, Sip-and-Puff switches, and other assistive technologies. Using the customers’ credentials to set up their X1 eye controls, the eye control remote connects with the television along with its set-top-box. From then on, every time the customer gazes at a button, the web-based remote transfers the corresponding command to the TV.
With X1 eye control, customers are able to:
- Change channels, launch guides, search content, record, and do other commands without assistance
- Switch on the X1 Sports App for real-time sports scores and stats alongside the in-game action
- Access X1’s Accessibility menu to control closed captioning, video description, and voice guidance
- Type out voice commands using their gaze such as “watch action movies”
Assistive Technology Products
Comcast aims to make a huge difference in the lives of their customer by providing a better experience, new technology, and inclusivity. Over the years, the company has been one of the pioneers in launching the first talking TV guide and voice remote control. The company also produced the first-ever live entertainment program for people with visual disabilities.
Comcast also offers a dedicated service center for customers with disabilities.
