Alvarado, who met Knoke as a database consultant working on the ATM system Knoke had implemented, hadn\u2019t known about Knoke\u2019s condition until he suddenly saw him in a wheelchair one day. And fittingly, Eye Control itself began with a wheelchair.<\/p>\n Microsoft employees, inspired<\/a> by former pro football player Steve Gleason<\/a>, who had lost the use of his limbs to ALS, outfitted a wheelchair with \u00a0electronic gadgets to help him drive with his eyes during the company\u2019s first Hackathon, in 2014. The project was so popular that a new Microsoft Research team was formed to explore the potential of eye-tracking technology to help people with disabilities, leading to last year\u2019s release<\/a> of Eye Control for Windows 10.<\/p>\n Knoke said it was \u201ca joy\u201d to learn how to type with his eyes, getting the feel of having sensors track his eye movements as he navigated around the screen and rested his gaze on the elements he wanted to click. Using Eye Control and the on-screen keyboard, he now can type 12 words a minute and creates spreadsheets, Power BI dashboards and even PowerPoint presentations. Combined with his foot-operated mouse, his productivity has doubled. He plans to expand his services to the U.S., where he spent six years studying and working in the 1970s. He no longer relies on his wife\u2019s voice, because Eye Control offers a text-to-speech function as well.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was frustrating trying to be understood,\u201d Knoke said in the email interview. \u201cAfter a few days of using Eye Control I became so independent that I did not need someone to interact with clients when there were questions or I needed to explain something. We have a remote session to the client\u2019s computer, and we open Notepad and interact with each other that way.\u201d<\/p>\n His wife and his nurse had learned to understand the sounds he was able to make, even with the tracheotomy restricting his vocal chords. But now he can communicate with his three grown daughters, his friends and all his customers.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"http:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/data-guru-living-with-als-modernizes-industries-by-typing-with-his-eyes.jpg\")
<\/a>
![\"A](\"http:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/data-guru-living-with-als-modernizes-industries-by-typing-with-his-eyes-1.jpg\")
<\/a>