Sometime last year, Google Project Gameface rolled out to Windows as an alternative to using a traditional mouse. Now this virtual product is making an entrance to the Android ecosystem and will be coming to some apps soon. You might be wondering what the Google Project Gameface is and how its arrival on Android devices will be of any benefit to users.
Well, the Google Project Gameface gives its users control of their on-screen mouse cursor using their faces. This virtual product syncs with the user’s device’s front-facing camera and tracks the movement of their face. The system then goes on to translate each facial move into commands that tell the on-screen mouse cursor where to go on the screen and what to click on.
This might all sound very funny to most people hearing it, but it has great use cases for everyday life. For gamers making use of this virtual product, they will be able to game on their device without using their hands. The Google Project Gameface will also come in handy for the physically challenged who are limited when it comes to the usage of their hands.
There is currently a truckload of controls that Google offers to let users of this service control their on-screen mouse using their face. These controls range from eye movements to raising and lowering the eyebrow, to lip motion, and users are free to customize these controls. Android devices already support the use of a traditional mouse, so this feature will just tap into the on-screen cursor that Android already offers.
Google is now bringing this feature to Android devices using the accessibility service, MediaPipe framework, and the device’s front-facing camera. Developers on the Android platform are to build support for this feature into their apps. Once available, we might see a few funny facial expressions among Android users while on their devices.