Not sure whether this falls under the category of "a little too much" or "pretty friggin' cool." PredictGaze is software that automatically pauses a video being played onscreen when viewers have left the room. Don't worry though, it only pauses when all viewers are out of range. So you can still sneak out of the room when you want to miss the scariest part of a movie.
The software has face-recognition and gesture-tracking algorithms that work with the camera already built in to devices such as smartphones, computers, smartTVs and webcams — so no need equipment is needed. The creators claim that through a 4-megapixel camera, the software can read movement up to 12 feet away. In addition to recognizing that everyone has left the room, the software is also capable of determining the age of viewers to tailor content to a specific age group.
The software can also be used in gaming to monitor a user's engagement and control the way he interacts with the game. In future endeavors, the creators of PredictGaze want to use this monitoring to control character movements in the games. Other features have been tested by the creators that really take advantage of the gaze-tracking technology. By following the movement of a user's eyes, the software can scroll up and down a webpage as he reads along.
Despite the slight creepiness of the video, which has a guy watching a Rihanna video while the lights slowly dim around him, the tech is pretty cool. Check out that video below for a demo.
Credit: PredictGaze
