Google Introduces Project Gameface For Android At I/O 2024

At last year’s I/O, Google launched Project Gameface, an open-source, hands-free gaming ‘mouse’ that allowed users to control a computer’s cursor using only their head movement and facial gestures. Users can click and drag just by raising their eyebrows or opening their mouths to move the cursor, making gaming more immersive and accessible.

The project was said to be inspired by the story of quadriplegic video game streamer Lance Carr, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, a progressive disease that weakens muscles. The company collaborated with him to make Project Gameface a reality.

Several companies including playAbility have leveraged Project Gameface building blocks, like MediaPipe Blendshapes, in their inclusive software. Now, Google is open-sourcing more code for the project to enable developers to build Android apps to make every Android device more accessible.

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How Does Project Gameface Work?

Project Gameface uses the device’s camera to track the facial expressions and head movements of the user. It then translates these movements into intuitive and personalized control. Developers will be able to build apps where users can configure their experience by customizing facial expressions, gesture sizes, cursor speed, and much more.

For the new release, Google has joined forces with Incluzza, a social enterprise in India that supports people with disability, to understand how Project Gameface can be made useful in education, work, and other places.

While building Project Gameface for Android, the company is said to have based its product design and development on three core principles:

• Give people with disabilities a new additional means to operate Android devices.
• Build a cost-effective solution that’s generally available to enable scalable usage.
• Leverage the learnings and guiding principles from the first Gameface launch to make the product user-friendly and customizable.

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New Virtual Cursor Introduced For Android Devices

Google has brought a new way to start operating an Android device. Following the positive feedback on Project Gameface, the company understood that developers and users liked how moving a cursor with head movement and facial expressions can be a game changer.

Google used the same idea to launch a new virtual cursor on an Android device. The company is using the Android accessibility service to create a new cursor and is leveraging MediaPipe’s Face Landmarks Detection API to program the cursor in a way so it moves as per a user’s head movement.

The API contains 52 face blendshape values which showcase the expressiveness of 52 facial gestures such as raising left eyebrow or mouth opening. The company uses the same 52 values to map and control different functions, allowing users to expand possibilities for customization.