Camera Mouse

A computer-vision-based mouse-replacement system that tracks a user's head motion through a standard webcam to control the mouse pointer on screen. Developed at Boston University by Margrit Betke and James Gips, Camera Mouse is freely available and enables people with severe motor impairments — such as those with motor neuron disease, cerebral palsy, or high-level spinal cord injury — to control a computer using only head movements. The system tracks a selected facial feature and translates its movement into cursor movement, with clicking typically achieved through dwell time (holding the pointer still over a target for a set duration) or a single external switch.