Skype: Look Me in the Eye

When I use the internet phone system, Skype, it is always slightly grating that even though you can see the other person you can never truly look them in the eye. Apparently, this is a pet peeve of other people as well. A group of students and scientists at the Computer Graphics Laboratory ETH Zurich have created a relatively inexpensive way to maintain eye contact during Skype chats. There are two main components to the system: A software program and a Microsoft Kinect movement sensor. As you talk via Skype, the Kinect will keep tabs on your face (and anyone else in the camera’s view), specifically tracking 66 different points as they move around in real time. The software then goes to work, altering the transmitted image to make it look like you’re staring at the camera when you’re really looking at the screen instead. Not everyone has a Kinect, of course, so the research team is trying to see if they can come up with a way to make their software work with the cameras you already have on your devices. They’re also working toward creating a Skype plug-in so we can all enjoy the results of their academic research.