1.

Eye Tracking

1.1 Definition:

Eye tracking is the process of examining eye‟s activity and state. Tracking includes your
point of gaze, the duration of your of focus at certain point and when you blink and how your
pupils react to different visual stimuli (a thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction
in an organ or tissue).

The information gathered by eye tracking technology can be used to facilitate a number of tasks
that were difficult before.

2. Evolution of Eye tracking

2.1 Development of First Eye Tracker:

The first eye tracker was built in 1901, but could only record horizontal eye movements
and required a head-mount.

In 1905, eye movements could be recorded using “a small white speck of material” inserted into
the participant„s eyes

Later on, eye tracker was developed in 1908 by Edmudum Huey. This tracker used to track eye
movements during the reading process. The user had to wear a contact lens with a small opening
for pupil because this tracker was very intrusive (interrupting). The lens was attached to a
pointer which changed its position following the movements of the eye.

2.2 Buswell’s Research:

Buswell‟s was basically a psychologist. In 1937, he used light beam which were reflected
on reader‟s eyes and record them on film. His research indicates that there is a difference
between oral and silent reading so that one person can read in two different ways at two different
moments in time.

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2.3 Rapid Progress Made in (1970s, 1980s and 1990s):

Following are the features of eye trackers made in 1970s:

 Eye tracker‟s become less intrusive.

 It provides better accuracy.
 It was able to separate eye from head movements.

In 1980s computers became powerful enough to do eye tracking in real time which enabled
application of video-based eye trackers to human-computer interaction.

At the end of the 1990s, companies such as the large advertising agency EURO RSCG
started using eye-tracking technology to observe reactions to the Internet content like animated
graphics, online advertisements etc. The main incentive for these types of studies was the growing
potential of the online products and services market.

2.4 Improvements made In 2000 To Till Now:

The progress made in eye tracking technology has the following features;
 Camera miniaturization
 Lightweight and durable design
 Connectivity and storage improvements
The current technology uses attached, optical and electrical potential techniques
to determine the eye movement.
3. Components involved in Eye-Tracker

3.1 Eye tracker:

Eye tracker consists of cameras, illuminators and algorithms.

3.2 Cameras:

It takes images of the user‟s eyes and the patterns.

3.3 Illuminators:

It creates a pattern of near-infrared light on the eyes.

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3.4 Algorithms:

Algorithms find specific details in the user eye‟s and reflections patterns. Mathematical
algorithms can calculate the eye‟s position and gaze (observing) point for instance (occurrence)
on a computer.

4. Working of Eye Tracker

Eye tracker uses invisible near infrared light that is directed towards the center of the
eyes (pupils) causing visible reflection in the cornea (the outer most optical element of the eye).
Those reflections are picked up by the eye tracker‟s cameras. Then an algorithm is used to
calculate the position of eye and determines where it is focused. This high contrast image is
tracked by a camera. Due to this it can measure and study visual behavior and fine eye
movements, as the position of the eye can be mapped multiple times a second.

4.1 Use of Calibrate:

For better accuracy calibration is done. During this process the eye tracker measure how
your eye reflects light. The calibration is done by following a point, video or other graphic
element that moves across the screen. Then the calibrated data is combined with our unique a
human eye 3D model of and give you an optimal (best/ideal) eye tracking experience.

5. Types of Eye Tracking

Following are types of eye tracking:

5.1 Screen based:

These are stand-alone, remote (distant) devices which either comes as an individual
monitor a smaller panel which can be attached to a laptop or monitor.

Require respondents to sit in front of a screen or close to the stimulus being used in the
experiment. Although in screen-based systems tracks the eyes only within certain limits, they are
able to move a limited amount, as long as it is within the limits of the eye tracker‟s range. This

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range is called the head box. The freedom of movement is usually sufficiently large for
respondents to feel unrestricted.

These are mostly used for research where the participants are interacting to the stimuli on a
screen. Screen based eye trackers with a large tolerance for head movements are commonly used
when studying people with certain medical conditions and infants (newborns) who are unable to
control their movements.

5.2 Wearable:

These include eye tracking glasses and virtual reality (VR) headsets with integrated eye
tracking. Eye tracking glasses are fitted near the eyes and therefore allow respondents to move
around as freely as they would

These are ideal for studying behavior in real-world situations such as consuming media in the
home, human interaction, or working in a factory etc. They allow natural movement and are
unobtrusive (unassuming), which means the wearer can do what they normally would in the
situation. They also contain a built-in scene camera and microphone to record the environment.

5.3 VR headset:

VR (virtual reality) with integrated eye tracking allow situational interactions to be observed in
multiple environments without the need for the environment to be physically present.

This is useful for skills and safety training in places that would otherwise be too risky to be in, or
are too difficult or expensive to set up.

5.4 Webcam :
Webcam eye trackers don‟t have sensors or specialized cameras. They are only
comprised of the webcam device attached or built-in to a computer.
This method relies on the image generated from the webcam instead of using infrared
light beams. An algorithm is then used to calculate the position of the head and eyes, and
from that the direction of the eyes is linked to an image on the screen.

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 6. Click Perform in Eye Tracking
There are three ways of clicking when using gaze interaction, and the method available
depends on the application you use.
6.1 Blink:
It is possible to use blinking as a click, but it is not the best way since you lose
focus of where you are looking.
6.2 Dwell:
The click is performed when you focus your eyes on a specific area for a
predetermined or scheduled number of milliseconds and then a click is performed.
6.3 Switch:
Switch is the fastest and most efficient way of clicking if you are able to control
it. You use your gaze to select where you want to click, and then you press the switch to
perform the click.

7. Uses of Eye Tracking In Daily Life

Following are its few uses:
 People who are unable to speak but use their hands and other body parts in a in an
organized manner to use a touch screen or mouse can use eye tracking to write
messages using only their eyes and then have the computer speak those messages out
loud.
 TVs, air conditioners and even doors can be run by infrared remote controls. People,
who cannot move as much due to spinal cord injury, can use their eye-controlled
computer as a remote control and operate appliances by gaze interaction.

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 8. Use of Eye Tracking In Different Fields
Eye tracking is being used in various fields of life like:
i. Psychology:
Eye tracking is used in medical research to study a wide variety of neurological
and psychological conditions.
The field of psychology prospers on eye tracking. It utilizes eye tracking to investigate
how the brain works and the sequence of stare pattern gain deeper insights to mental or
intellectual process underlying attention, learning and memory. This is helpful for
diagnosing diseases such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

ii. Market Research:

Eye tracking has become very a popular in market research. Many leading brands
are utilizing eye tracking technology to assess customers attention to key messages and
advertising as well as to evaluate product performance, product and package design and
overall customer experience. It also shows what elements naturally attracted the most
attention and what areas were ignored.
When applied to in store testing, eye tracking provides information about the ease and
difficulty of in-store navigation, search behavior and purchase choices.
iii. Driving Simulator:

Driving simulator research often use eye tracking glasses combined with several
other sensors to gain a better understanding of human behavior in dangerous or harmful
situations. Automotive research has involved eye tracking glasses for a long time to
assess the driver‟s visual attention, both with respect to navigation and dashboard layout.
In the near future automobiles might even be able to respond to the drivers eye gaze, eye
movements or pupil dilation.

iv. Website Testing:

Website is the growing field that utilizes eye tracking as a practice for assessing
the experience. If you„re losing out on revenue, eye tracking data can deliver valuable

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 perceptions into the gaze patterns of your website visitors. How long does it take them to
find a specific product on your site, what kind of visual information do they ignore?

v. Eye Tracking in Educational Institutes:

In recent years, eye tracking technology has extraordinarily made its way into
educational science to help gain understandings into learning behavior in various settings
ranging from traditional “chalk and talk” teaching approaches to digital learning.
For example:
Analyzing visual attention of students during classroom education delivers
valuable information in regard to which elements catch and hold interest and which are
distracting.
Do students read or do they scan slides? Do they focus on the teacher or concentrate on
their notes? Does their look move around in the classroom? Eye tracking findings like
these can be effectively used to enhance instructional design and materials for an
improved learning experience in the classroom and beyond.
vi. Eye Tracking in Gaming:

Eye tracking has recently been introduced into the gaming industry and has since
become an increasingly prominent tool as Designers are now able to assess and calculate
measures such as visual attention and reactions to key moments during game play to
improve the overall gaming experience.

When combined with other biometric sensors, designers can utilize the data to measure
emotional and reasoning responses to gaming. New trends and developments may soon
concentrate it possible to control the game based on pupil dilation and eye movements.

Eye tracking in gaming is a game-changer, but not a replacement. Just as your hands
operate the mouse, gamepad, and keyboard now, your eye movement is now also
included as an input mode. Natural actions and reactions like aiming, taking cover or
panning your gaze are now possible with least effort.

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 Advantages:

 Eye movement is faster than other current input media

 No training or particular coordination is required of normal users
 Can determine where the user‟s interest is focused automatically
 Helpful for usability studies to understand users interact with their environments
 It is easy to setup. No complicated hardware is required to configure, simply install the
PCI card in your computer and load the software
 Real-time feedback of eye movement data

Disadvantage:

 The equipment is expensive

 Some users can't work with the equipment (for example if they wear contact lenses or
have long eye lashes)
 Calibrating the equipment takes time; this problem may resultantly cause the user to
deviate from using the device.
 It‟s not cheap to outfit a lab with a decent eye tracker.

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