Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Other

Jay Beavers

Jatin Sharma

Ravipal S Soin

Jonathan Campbell

Christopher H Moffatt

Meredith June Morris

Harish Kulkarni

Ann M Paradiso

Peter John Ansell

Alexander John Fiannaca

Jon Campbell

Mira E Shah

Kathleen Patricia Mulcahy

Jack Creasey

Robert C Elmer

Randy Hinrichs

Lora J Heiny

Bomani Siwatu

Neema Mortazavi Moraveji

Wei Zhang

Kenneth Paul Hinckley

Michel Pahud

Jai Srinivasan

Clark David Nicholson

Kanchan Mitra

Juan Dai

David Jaroslav Sebesta

Scott Kurtzeborn

Kaushik Barat

Helene Marie Julie Martineaud

Sarah Papp

Richard Anderson

Jeff Baxter

Systems and methods are provided for collecting eye-gaze data for training an eye-gaze prediction model. The collecting includes selecting a scan path passing through a series of regions of a grid on a screen of a computing device, moving a symbol as an eye-gaze target along the scan path, and receiving facial images at eye-gaze points. The eye-gaze points are uniformly distributed within the respective regions. Areas of the regions that are adjacent to edges and corners of the screen are smaller than other regions. The difference in areas shifts centers of the regions toward the edges, density of data closer to the edges. The scan path passes through locations in proximity to the edges and corners of the screen for capturing more eye-gaze points in the proximity. The methods interactively enhance variations of facial images by displaying instructions to the user to make specific actions associated with the face.

Systems and methods of capturing eye-gaze data

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to multi-user, multi-device gaze tracking. In examples, a system includes at least one processor, and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the system to perform a set of operations. The set of operations include identifying a plurality of computing devices, and identifying one or more users. The set of operations may further include receiving gaze input data and load data, from two or more of the plurality of computing devices. The set of operations may further include performing load balancing between the plurality of devices, wherein the load balancing comprises assigning one or more tasks from a first of the plurality of computing devices to a second of the plurality of computing devices based upon the gaze input data.

Multi-device gaze tracking

Methods, systems, and techniques for controlling posture by using eye gaze technology to facilitate position changes in seating, such as in a wheelchair or bed, are provided. Example embodiments provide an Eye Gaze Posture Control System ('EGPCS') which enables people with advanced motor neuron diseases or disabilities like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or muscular dystrophy to use eye gaze technologies to control their seating and bed positioning. In one embodiment, the example EGPCS comprises a posture and pressure advisor, logging and telemetry logic, a posture control application, device interface(s) to one or more other devices that control aspects of the powered wheelchair or bed, and eye gaze actuation control. These components cooperate to adjust position of a seat or a bed using eye gaze technology as opposed to by a virtual cursor or by manual control.

Systems, methods, and techniques for eye gaze control of seat and bed positioning

Methods, systems, and techniques for controlling actuators by using eye gaze technology such as in a wheelchair or bed, are provided. Example embodiments provide an Eye Gaze Actuator Control System ('EGACS') which enables people with advanced motor neuron diseases or disabilities like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or muscular dystrophy to use eye gaze technologies to control their actuators that control seating, bed positioning, and movement of motor-controlled devices. In one embodiment, the example EGACS comprises a display device, eye gaze sensor, eye gaze control application, and device interface(s) to one or more other devices that control aspects of a powered wheelchair, bed, vehicle, or other device. These components cooperate to control the powered wheelchair, bed, or vehicle using eye gaze technology as opposed to by manual control.

Systems, methods, and techniques for safely controlling devices using eye gaze control

Systems and methods are provided for predicting an eye gaze location of an operator of a computing device. In particular, the method generates an image grid that includes regions of interest based on a facial image. The facial image is based on a received image frame of a video stream that captures the operator using the computing device. The image grid further includes a region that indicate rotation information of the face. The method further uses a combination of trained neural networks to extract features of the regions of interest in the image grid and predict the eye gaze location on the screen of the computing device. The trained set of neural networks includes a convolutional neural network. The method optionally generate head pose pitch, roll, and yaw information to improve accuracy of predicting the location of an eye gaze.

Systems and methods for gaze-tracking

Systems and methods are provided for collecting eye-gaze data for training an eye-gaze prediction model. The collecting includes selecting a scan path that passes through a series of regions of a grid on a screen of a computing device, moving a symbol as an eye-gaze target along the scan path, and receiving facial images at eye-gaze points. The eye-gaze points are uniformly distributed within the respective regions. Areas of the regions that are adjacent to edges and corners of the screen are smaller than other regions. The difference in areas shifts centers of the regions toward the edges, density of data closer to the edges. The scan path passes through locations in proximity to the edges and corners of the screen for capturing more eye-gaze points in the proximity. The methods interactively enhance variations of facial images by displaying instructions to the user to make specific actions associated with the face.

Speech generating devices, communication systems, and methods for communicating using the devices and systems are disclosed herein. In certain examples, a communication system is configured to receive a generated communication, establish a connection between a speech generating device and a computing device subsequent to receipt of the generated communication, and transmit the generated communication to the computing device. In other examples, a computing device is configured to establish a connection with a speech generating device, and receive a transmission generated by the speech generating device following the connection, the transmission including previously generated communications or real-time communication segments or proxies. In other examples, a speech generating device is configured to establish a connection with one or more computing devices, receive one or more suggestions from at least one computing device during generation of the communication, and display a suggestion on the display device as a shortcut input key.

Facilitating awareness and conversation throughput in an augmentative and alternative communication system

Speech generating devices, communication systems, and methods for communicating using the devices and systems are disclosed herein. In certain examples, the speech generating device includes a display device and an input device configured to generate a communication to be displayed on the display device, wherein the speech generating device is configured to allow a user to select between playing the generated communication through a speaker and transmitting the generated communication via a communication network to a computing device separate from the speech generating device. In certain examples, the computing device may be designated with other computing devices of other conversation partners within a conversation group.

Directed personal communication for speech generating devices

A computer-implemented method leverages the capabilities present in common mobile communications devices&#x2014;RF transceivers, Internet connectivity, payment system, geolocation system, notification system, and user interface&#x2014;to simplify and reduce overhead from the parking experience. Furthermore, this method utilizes distributed authentication and authorization and multi-path queued message delivery to provide this experience when cellular or WiFi Internet connectivity is absent in the parking facility, simplifying and reducing the cost of deployment.

Systems and methods to use a mobile communications device for parking facility access

Speech generating devices, communication systems, and methods for communicating using the devices and systems are disclosed herein. In certain examples, the speech generating device includes: a first display device positioned in a first direction, the first display device configured to face a user of the speech generating device; an input device configured to generate a communication to be displayed on the first display device; and a second display device positioned in a second direction different from the first direction, wherein the second display device is configured to display a social cue proxy or an emotional proxy of the generated communication.

Proxies for speech generating devices

A computerized educational presentation system is provided. The system may include a presentation application program. The presentation application program may include a presentation module that is operable in an author mode to create an educational presentation having a plurality of educational resources. The educational resources may include at least a poll. Further, the presentation module may be operable in a presentation mode to make the educational presentation accessible for viewing at a plurality of student computing devices. The presentation application program further may include an interaction module. During the author mode, the interaction module may update one or more educational resources of the educational presentation in response to receiving user edits via an author tool. During the presentation mode, the interaction module may receive student feedback at a teacher computing device in response to presentation of the poll at the plurality of student computing devices.

Interactive presentation system

An adaptive clicker technique is described that provides a standardized polling control and a registration system to support mixed types of clickers and integrate the polling data. One embodiment of the adaptive clicker technique operates as follows. User inputs from more than one type of clicker device (e.g., personal interactive response system device) are received. The inputs from the more than one type of clicker device are formatted with a clicker adapter for each type of clicker to adapt user inputs to a common polling controller. The adapted inputs are then processed with the common polling controller to interface the adapted inputs with a personal response system software application to allow user polling data to be collected and assessed.

Adaptive clicker technique

Embodiments of methods and systems of providing contextual discovery of value-added components or add-ins of an application are disclosed. In conjunction with a startup of the application, indicators for each available value-added component for the application may be contextually displayed on a user interface of a first computing device, where the indicators are undifferentiated based on installation status of the value-added components. Upon a user selection of a particular value-added component that is not currently installed, the value-added component may be obtained from a second computing device and may be installed. The end-user is thus provided with an integrated seamless, contextual discovery and installation of desired value-added components on an as-needed basis. The methods and systems may be based on varying levels of permission, and may be performed for sub-components of value-added components.

Growing community of inventors

Duvall, WA, United States of America

Jay Beavers