Blincam is a cool device. There has been a device which uses the blinking as camera control interface, but it may be first to combine it with a wearable device.
Blinking is a good media to command and control devices, because
- It is a voluntary muscle and perhaps fatigue-less as finger.
- People naturally do blinking and it does not require people to learn the operation.
Blincam focuses on a single scenario to capturing a moment – capture what you see. The value proposition is easy to understand. It does not interfere with user sight as traditional camera. This is the same as Google glass.
On the other hand, it is different from Google glass as follows:
- It is attachable to glasses you use already, not a brand new glasses. Adoption bar is lower than Google glass.
- Use of Blinking UI
- It is really hand-free. Google glass used a touch to control the device which is not really hand-free. (People like me thought that Google would combine gaze tracking with its Google glass, but they didn’t…)
- Blinking keeps privacy of its user better than Google glass. Google glass used a touch/speech to control the device which looks strange in social context. Blinking is less noticeable from the others than speech or touch.
But, as you recognize, Blincam does not solve the problem of privacy of the people around the user. I am not sure about real reasons why Google glass failed, but the privacy of the others may be one of key problems. Blincam must solve the problem to get a broad adoption.
yoshiharusato 