Google will let you control a mouse cursor with your head on Android

Android already offers support for computer mice, which can be handy for outputting to an external screen or for accessibility purposes. What if you don’t have a mouse or can’t use one, though? It turns out Google is bringing another solution to Android.

Google announced on its developer blog that its so-called Project Gameface feature is coming to Android. The project, which was announced last year for Windows, is a “hands-free gaming mouse” that uses your head movement and facial gestures to control a computer cursor.

The feature works via a combination of Android’s accessibility service, Google’s MediaPipe framework, and the device’s selfie camera. This allows users to raise their eyebrows to click and drag, open their mouths to move a cursor, and more. The company is also offering gesture customization (with up to 52 gestures supported) and the ability to tweak the gesture size for triggering actions.

Developers will, however, need to build support for Project Gameface into their apps. We hope to see widespread adoption as this seems like a smart way to improve accessibility on Android.