Mobile World Capital Barcelona, Twitter and Irisbond present the first mobile app that permits interaction between phone and eye

• The demo, developed by Irisbond, is aimed at people with disabilities and cerebral palsy, enabling them to use Twitter thanks to eye-tracking technology
• Alberto Moreno (Cáceres, 1995), a young quadriplegic who has once again been able to tweet after an accident two years ago, was the first to use the app, thus becoming the star of the #HeVuelto (#Imback), campaign created by McCann España, and presented today
• Institut Guttmann and GSMA have also been involved in the pilot project, developed as part of the MWCapital d-LAB programme

April 27, 2018

The Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) Foundation, Twitter, and Irisbond have presented an eye-tracking app for people with disability and cerebral palsy which, for the first time, lets them use Twitter on their mobiles.

To publicise the advance this technology represents, the #HeVuelto (ImBack) campaign has been launched, the story of an emotional journey featuring Alberto Moreno, a young quadriplegic who, two years after his accident, can once again raise his voice on Twitter. Two long years in which he has seen the world change via hashtag, without being able to comment. As of today, he once again has a voice and the chance to share his thoughts, communicate, laugh, and even laugh at himself.

The mobile technology has made #HeVuelto possible

EyeTwitter, now available in test format for Android devices (download here), facilitates a more organic and sensory use of mobile devices. Specifically, EyeTwitter permits users to browse Twitter, scroll, like a tweet, retweet, play videos and view trending topics all through eye movement. They can also “write” tweets by voice and send them with a glance. As an innovative universal solution for mobile use, EyeTwitter represents a paradigm shift in how we interact with mobile terminals, enabling sight to replace what until now could only be done by voice or touch.

A year ago, Irisbond, Twitter Spain, and the ONCE Foundation developed #tuitsaojo, (tweetsbyeye), a pioneering project that permitted the use of Twitter by eye movement on a computer or tablet. Today’s announcement goes a step further by transferring the project to the mobile environment. Irisbond developed this app as a response to the challenge set by d-LAB, the MWC digital transformation programme that promotes the use of mobile technology to improve people’s quality of life. This international challenge to create mobile and digital solutions that empower people with disabilities has made it possible to adapt Irisbond technology to mobile devices, without the need for hardware, and test it out in real-world environments thanks to participation in the pilot project by six patients from the Institut Guttman in Barcelona. GSMA has also been involved in this testing phase.

#HeVuelto: how technology transforms the reality of a person with a disability

With the aim of spreading the impact of the Irisbond solution and raising awareness of the transformational power of technology in health, MWCapital, Twitter, and Irisbond have launched #HeVuelto, an awareness-raising campaign developed by McCann Spain (link to the video) starring Alberto Moreno, a young quadriplegic who describes in first person how it feels to return to Twitter after his last tweet on 27 April 2016.

Alberto (born in Cáceres in 1995) is a patient at the National Paraplegic Hospital who accesses Irisbond’s augmentative and alternative communication systems as part of his rehabilitation treatment. After an initial phase of adapting to the solution, in which Alberto also tested the eye-tracking solution for tablets and computers, he is now one of the first to use EyeTwitter. Using the tool, Alberto can again interact with one of the leading communication platforms he used before the accident, normalising his communication and ability to interact with his community and, above all, doing so once again via his mobile, a tool that offers greater autonomy and ability to communicate wherever he may be.

In addition, #HeVuelto also aims to show how a mobile phone can transcend its normal use and, with apps such as EyeTwitter, become a key tool for rehabilitation and normalisation of communication among patients suffering from different progressive neurological disorders, motor neuron diseases, and cerebral palsy, among others; in short, people whose communication has been limited by disease or accident.