Cogain is a network that works towards improving quality of life for users with disabilities. Twenty different organisations with over a hundred scientists are part of the network. Many of them gathered at the seminar Cogain Camp in Copenhagen last week.

Several types of eye-controlled solutions are already on the market. The challenge is now to lower the costs and make the technology more mobile. The key to success could be open source programming.

- It shouldn't cost more than a regular PC with a webcam. The programmes should be free and mobile, says John Paulin Hansen, lector at the Institute for Innovation at Copenhagen IT University, to Computerworld.

- It's possible for a few Danish users to afford the solutions that are on offer today, but for handicapped people in poorer countries they are not an option, he says.

Developing technology under these circumstances is difficult. The size of the user's face, pupils or glasses mustn't interfere with the reading of the eye. Also factors such as lighting in the room or possible spasms that the user may have must be taken into consideration.

Although Cogain primarily works with persons with disabilities, there are also other markets that are interesting for the future.

- We would like get into arcade gaming, there is a lot of money there. The development depends on how the user systems will work in the near future. That will be the decisive factor whether it is a success or a failure, says John Paulin Hansen.

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