The next generation of tablets and ereaders could harness creative new technology to revolutionize the way we interact with the 'written word.'
It's called Text 2.0, and it uses eye-tracking technology to help maximize the reading experience. It is the product of collaboration between scientists at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence and the Swedish firm Tobii Technology.
Wired has the details:
Their technology is capable of monitoring your eyes in order to define words if you stare at them puzzled, eliminating non-essential information when you're skimming, helping you pick up exactly where you left off, swapping images based on what you're reading, surfacing relevant reference materials and more.
There is even an interactive tool that, when prompted, tells you how to pronounce words.
Rumor has it that Apple has purchased eye-tracking technology from Tobii Technology and could be using it in the next version of the iPad, writes Wired.
H+ predicts its use in advertising:
Imagine how annoying pop up ads could be if they were triggered when you looked at them. And while you may appreciate the fact that a publication's ads are targeted to you, do you want them changing based on where your eyes linger?
For now, Tobii Technology's innovations help mainly paraplegics communicate and gain new levels of control in their daily lives. Watch the video (below) to see how Tobii's technology harnesses HTML, CSS and JavaScript code to create Text 2.0.