A team of Chinese researchers has developed the world’s first self-powered eye-tracking system, which generates electricity from blinking. The system allows patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to control wheelchairs using only their eye movements, according to the Science and Technology Daily.
The project was led by Professor Long Yunze from Qingdao University, in collaboration with several research partners. The findings were published in Cell Reports Physical Science and highlighted by Cell Press.
Traditional eye-tracking devices rely on external power, making them heavy, cumbersome, and often unreliable due to low batteries. For ALS patients, these limitations have made independent mobility difficult.
To solve this, Long’s team developed a system where the eyes themselves generate power. The design uses a dual-layer setup combining a contact lens and a pair of eyeglass frames. It is ultra-lightweight, feels like normal glasses, and produces all the energy it needs from eye movements — no batteries required.
A polydimethylsiloxane layer on the eyeball acts as a tiny generator, producing electricity whenever the user blinks or moves their eyes. The glasses, fitted with transparent electrodes, capture these electrical signals and send them to external devices, enabling precise control of wheelchairs or other devices.
The researchers said moving this technology from the lab to real-world use will take time, but they are actively exploring partnerships with companies to make it commercially available.
Beyond wheelchair control, the system could be used with virtual reality headsets, allowing users to interact with displays using only eye movements, removing bulky equipment and creating new possibilities for human-machine interaction.
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