No hands needed։ Android apps can be used with gestures

Google has announced that it has made the source code of its Project Gameface available to developers, which means that software companies can use it to make games for Android that can be played or controlled with facial expressions and head movements.

The company announced Project Gameface last year at the I/O 2023 conference. It was originally presented as something like a gaming mouse, but without the use of hands. The development allows you to control the cursor with facial expressions or head movements that are recognized by the device's built-in camera. For example, a user can raise their eyebrows to select and drag something on the screen, or open their mouth to move the cursor. It was supposed to make the management of games more convenient and simple.Project Gameface code is now available for Android app developers. They can create apps where users can adapt their facial expressions and gestures to control the cursor and use them hands-free. Project Gameface recognizes the user's movements and matches them against MediaPipe's Face Landmarks Detection API database. It includes over 50 possible facial expressions and head movements, some of which are developed by Google itself.

At first, Project Gameface was only seen as an advanced game control tool, but Google now plans to find other uses for it. The authors of the project believe that it can be used for educational and work purposes, communication in social networks and other purposes. In addition, this method of managing a mobile device can be useful for people with limited capabilities.

Developers can already embed Project Gameface into their apps.