4tiitoo’s Nuia EyeCharm uses Microsoft’s Kinect to do eye-tracking for $60

Tracking your eyes as you read a computer is a cool technology, but it’s expensive. Startup 4tiitoo says it has found a way to do it inexpensively by adding a clip-on for Microsoft’s Kinect motion-sensing system for the Xbox 360. The company launched a crowdfunding effort on Kickstarter today to raise $100,000 for the product. The experience is like getting the computer to read your mind.

The Nuia EyeCharm takes advantage of the low-cost infrared camera in Kinect. It clips on the front of the device and adds the necessary optics and special infrared illumination to figure out where your eyes are looking on a computer screen. With eye-tracking, the camera follows your eye movements and allows you to control a computer without a mouse or keyboard.

You can use the Kinect for Xbox 360, using a universal serial bus converter cable, or the PC. But this experience is focused on desktops for now. The user has to sit at a fixed distance from the screen. For $60, customers will get a suite of apps as well as Nuia EyeCharm device.

The Kickstarter page includes a video (embedded below) with demos of the eye-tracking working on applications such as games. The video includes Diablo III, Arma 2, and Minecraft. The company has already raised more than $35,000 and still has 22 days to go. 4tiitoo plans to launch the product on Aug. 1.