Could touchless technology lead to "equitable" gaming?

Could touchless technology lead to "equitable" gaming?

For several individuals, using a mouse or gaming controller to navigate a computer comes naturally to them.

For certain impaired individuals, nevertheless, it could be difficult or even impossible.

Other input techniques exist, such as eye tracking, although they often need for specialized tools.

Furthermore, not everyone can use the accessible controllers that video game titans like Sony have created for their own systems.

This is where "touchless computing" and programs like MotionInput come into play.

The goal is to enable everyone to use a regular laptop and any game.

MotionInput allows users to design new click or control inputs that suit their needs, without needing them to know how to use a mouse or keyboard.

Using the camera on their computer, users may enter any face expression or physical motion that best fits their requirements.

Thus, making a fish face or lifting your eyebrows, for instance, may stand in for a right or double click.

You can get the supporting software from the Microsoft Store for free.

during 200 students have assisted Professor Dean Mohamedally, a computer science professor at University College London, in leading the development of MotionInput during the last four years.

He said that it "democratizes" earlier technology by allowing kids to engage in "equitable computing" activities such as gaming using their own body motions.

Safiya, one of numerous students at the Richard Cloudesley School in London, says, "It is easy." The university has been assisting UCL students in identifying any software faults or difficulties.

Safiya said, "It helps me experience every action of the game."

She had only used Nintendo's own hardware before, but she loved playing sports like tennis and boxing on the now-canceled Nintendo Wii.

"This new controller helps me play better," she said.

I had the opportunity to test MotionInput for myself, mostly on well-known games like Rocket League and Minecraft but also on more difficult ones like Doom and Forza Motorsport.

Learning the nuances of some of the control techniques required time and effort.

I can now confidently declare that I used my eyes to play Minecraft, despite my inability to completely avoid running into the occasional virtual cow.

My experience was probably not typical, however, since I was experimenting with a lot of various inputs in a short amount of time, when in reality individuals are generally going to concentrate on one or two that are simplest for them to use.

Intel's artificial intelligence (AI) software is what enables this customized technology. It makes use of machine learning to identify a user's body parts and determine which movements or facial expressions during games correspond to certain actions.

Since so much of contemporary life revolves around our electronics, making assistive technology more widely accessible has obvious advantages. This kind of technology has the capacity to completely change lives.

Dr. Lynsay Shepherd, an Abertay University senior lecturer in cybersecurity and human-computer interface, concurs.

"In the context of gaming, it’s important that computers and consoles are approachable for individuals, something that has become especially noticeable in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic," she explains.

"Games can reduce feelings of social isolation and support beneficial psychological wellness, and people with accessibility issues deserve possibilities to engage in gaming."

She points out that other initiatives run by nonprofits like SpecialEffect and Able Gamers, who collaborate with companies to design unique controllers, are also assisting in improving the gaming experiences of impaired players.

However, she said that in order for accessible technologies to be more generally used, they have to continue being inexpensive and simple to use.

"The games industry can support development of these gadgets by creating a pipeline to help gamers with accessibility issues become involved in experiments, and by hiring gamers with disabilities as accessibility consultants," she said.

While gaming is the main emphasis right now, technologies like MotionInput have far wider applications than that.

Touchless computing is thought to have applications in the fields of education, healthcare, and building.

"Given our increasingly digitised society, these [technologies] will assist people in maintaining social ties and provide assistance in the work environment," said Dr Shepherd.

The goal of UCL's MotionInput software going forward is to make its non-accessibility applications commercially available.