Welcome to the first eye-controlled user interface for mobile, that requires no additional hardware or personalized calibration. The patented technology allows you to read digital content without having to manually scroll the display. By using artificial intelligence, Athena detects when, where, and how fast you are reading and automatically scrolls the display accordingly. There is no new user behavior that has to be learned in order to operate Athena, just read and the system will do the rest. Our mission is to make digital devices more accessible and natural to operate. Eye-controlled scrolling is just the beginning! 

We built Athena because the current way that we interact with mobile devices is unnatural, unnecessary and inaccessible, especially when reading news articles, ebooks, and other text-heavy content. This method has remained the same since touch screens were introduced on mobile devices. Switch and voice control have made some devices more accessible but they require a newly learned behavior and in some cases additional hardware. Until now this has been the best and only way to operate mobile devices. 

There are over 1 billion people worldwide with various disabilities, which can inhibit access to mobile devices and computers. Research has shown that when a person reads on a mobile device, their attention is temporarily diverted when making manual scroll inputs, thus detracting from the content being read. Not only is the current mobile user interface inefficient and limiting, but the repetitive nature of mobile phone and computer use is known to cause wrist and hand injuries, including arthritis. Athena is an entirely new way to interact with mobile devices, allowing for a more immersive, accessible, and natural user experience. 

The initial application of Athena’s technology is a Safari extension for iPhone and iPad. When you are viewing certain content in Safari, Athena’s blue icon will be displayed on the screen. Simply tap the Athena icon to enable  Eye-controlled scrolling. We also built a custom reader mode that strips out ads and popups to provide a less distracting reading experience.

You can also share articles and content from other Apps or browsers directly to Athena. Simply tap the share icon, select Athena, and enjoy Eye-controlled scrolling. You may find that some sites are not compatible to share with Athena just yet, but we are working on expanding that. 

Please note that Athena technology relies on the front-facing camera’s ability to see your eyes so you must enable camera access for Eye-controlled scrolling to work. If the camera does not have a clear line of sight to your eyes the system will not work correctly so be sure that your face and eyes are visible to the camera. Certain lighting conditions can affect Athena’s accuracy as can being too far away from the screen. All of Athena’s technology runs on your device and no personal or sensitive information is tracked or collected by Athena. 

Please reach out if you have any questions, issues, or feedback!