The eyes are a powerful source of information.
Where people
look and how long they look for can be indicative of one’s intentions, thoughts
or actions, and interests. With this, one can imagine just how useful eye
tracking devices can be in psychological studies for understanding human visual
behavior. With the evolution of computer technology, eye tracking has become a
non-intrusive, affordable, and easy-to-use tool in human behavior research that
measures what, when, and where people look.
The most
modern eye trackers utilize near-infared technology along with a high-resolution
camera to track eye movement in what is called “pupil center corneal reflection”
(PCCR). In PCCR, near-infared light is directed towards the center of the eyes,
causing visible reflections in the cornea, which are tracked by the camera. From
the position of the pupil in the image, the eye tracker’s software can
determine where the user’s gaze is directed. By using the eyes as a pointer on
the screen, eye tracking increases the ease of interactions with the computer
when the user does not want to use their hands as the input form.
Eye tracking devices could be used for a wide variety of
functions. For example, physically impaired people who cannot type could use eye tracking to operate a computer with eye-based applications which allow them to move a mouse
cursor and write sentences using only their eyes. There are also endless possibilities
for eye-tracking devices to advance the interactivity of video games. For instance, video games with a first-person view could use eye tracking to
automatically pan the screen where the player is looking, rather than using the
controller. With the potential
for eye movements to be used in place of a mouse or controller, eye tracking
devices could revolutionize how we think about the human-computer
interaction.
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References:
http://www.eyegaze.com/7-ways-eye-tracking-is-improving-our-lives-–-part-1/ (image)
Hi! This is a great blog entry. Eye tracking is an amazing technological advance that will allow people with physical disabilities to type and use computers. This bridges the gap between what a disability is, so it is such an important computer advancement.
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