At TEDActive 2011 Mick Ebeling told the story of graffiti artist TEMPT and the EyeWriter, an invention that unlocked this locked-in artist. The EyeWriter uses open-source software and a pair of eye-tracking glasses to restore writing and communication skills to paralyzed artists.

In the spirit of active collaboration, at this year’s conference South Korean developer Jinyong Chung demoed the eyeCan, a product based on the EyeWriter. The eyeCan expands the functionality of the EyeWriter and is available for use on PCs as well as Macs. It allows a paralyzed user to turn pages in an e-book by blinking, and to explore a digital rendering of the world through Google Street View. Chung and his team hope that their project will inspire further improved technology for those who suffer from Lou Gehrig’s.

Watch the eyeCan in action:

(Photo: TEDActive 2012. February 27 – March 2, 2012 Palm Springs, CA. Michael Brands / TED)