Controlling an iPod with the blink of an eye is possible

Changing songs with the blink of an eye is a feature that could someday be available on your iPod. Reuters reports that researchers in Japan have developed a system that monitors skin movement around the temple in order to control your music player hands-free. The project has been dubbed the "KomeKami Switch" or "Temple Switch" and was developed by Kazuhiro Taniguchi a student at Osaka University's Graduate School of Engineering Science.

Taniguchi used an iPod, and attached tiny sensors to a pair of sunglasses and earbuds for this experiment. These infrared sensors generate an electric signal when they detect movement around you eyes, and that's how it controls an iPod. Winking the right eye for a second skips to the next song, winking with the left eye goes back to the previous song, and closing both eyes will either pause or play your music.

When asked by Reuters if the sensors get confused when a person is blinking naturally, Taniguchi said it wasn't possible since there are differences in eye movement and the sensors can differentiate between accidental and intentional blinking.

This type of system could greatly benefit people with disabilities in the future, so Taniguchi is looking at other ways the "Temple Switch" could be used to help people operate wheelchairs, room lighting, and other household electronics. It's a promising system, and one the research team hopes to launch in two to three years.