Paralyzed Graffiti Artist Draws With His Eyes

In 2003 Tony Quan, a Los Angeles-based graffiti artist, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, leaving virtually every muscle in his body paralyzed except for his eyes.

A group of artists created a gadget, costing about as much as an iPod shuffle, that lets Quan continue making art using only his eyes.

How does it work you wonder? Inventor Zach Lieberman breaks it down for NPR: 

"He can plot points. And from plotting points, create letters. And from creating letters, create words. And then color the words, shade the words, extrude them in 3-D, add different features." The contraption looks like eyeglasses but works like a miracle. 

They've just won a FutureEverything Award for innovation which includes a cash prize but Lieberman sets the record straight: "We're not in it to make money. This is really coming from the heart."

Photo by srboisvert via Flickr