What it is and where it is used. Perceptual Vision Interfaces (PVI) are the systems that use visual cues of the user, such as the motion of the face, to control a program. The main application of PVI  is seen in designing hands-free computer input devices to supplement (or to replace) the conventional hand-operated input devices such as mouse or joystick.

Problem. For PVI to be operational, it has to be able to track a user robustly - with respect to user's motion (i.e. regardless of facial orientation or expression), and precisely - with subpixel precision, and smoothly, so that user position position computed from  low-resolution video image can be converted to the cursor position on a high-resolution computer screen. Mathematically stated, this means designing a continuous monotonically increasing mapping function which maps a six-degree of freedom face position (x,y,z,a,b,c) to the two-degree position of the cursor (i,j). Conventionally used at the time visually distinctive facial features such brows, eyes, mouths could not provide a solution to this problem.

Solution.  Nouse^®, which stands for 'Nose as Mouse' and is pronounced ['naus], is the concept that yielded a solution to this previously unresolved problem. It is based on tracking the so-called convex-shape nose feature, which is the extremum of a convex surface of  the nose tip. Thus defined nose feature is rotation and scale invariant,  seen at all times regardless of the face orientation. It also can be tracked with the sub-pixel precision, and as such makes it possible to operate with your nose as with a mouse (or a pen) or a joystick (or a pointer). Besides, thanks to the mother Nature, the nose tip, as the most protruding part of the face, is the most convenient to operate with. For those who lost control of their hands, nose literally becomes a new finger to operate with.

This is what made the Nouse invention back in 2001, with the follow-up surge of  media attention in 2004. As was then found however, this was not the only problem that had to be resolved in order to make hands-free computer control possible. 

Further development

Perceptual Cursor. Feedback providing cursor (also called, Perceptual Cursor or  Nousor) was invented in 2005 and was the most important invention related to enabling robust hands-free control. Just as a regular mouse that cannot be operated until a person puts his hand on it, so can't Nouse (or any other hands-free input device) be operated until the user "connects" to it. 

NouseClick and other NouseTools. With nose tracking and feedback solutions in hand, there were still many unresolved problems. How to perform different types of clicks? How to convert small range of head motion normally exhibited by disabled users into a wide range of cursor control? How to type letters? Finally, how make it usable by people with different mobility constraints?  NouseClick and other NouseTools (NouseTyper, NouseChalk) are the techniques that have been invented to solve these problems).

Partnership with SCO Health Service. Developing real-life solutions for users with special needs is impossible without the help of occupational therapists working with such users. A collaboration with SCO Health Service has started in 2004 and proved to be very beneficial to the development of the technology. 

Trasfer of Nouse technology to IVIM Inc. 

Following the Work Force Alignment (WFA) conducted by the National Research Council's Institute of Information Technology (NRC-IIT)which resulted in the termination of all Video Recognition Systems (VRS) projects, Nouse technology is now transferred to IVIM Inc. - a company founded by the VRS leader and Nouse inventor,  Dr. Dmitry Gorodnichy.

Intellectual Property

All Nouse intellectual Property, which includes patents, codes and know-hows, belongs to the National Research Council of Canada and is transferred to IVIM Inc.

®  Nouse is a registered trademark of the National Research Council of Canada.
US Patents: 10/201,957, 10/653,090. Canadian patents: #2,395,886, #2,440,015.