First, how does eye tracking work? Well, typically there are 2 components: a light source and a camera. The light source creates a reflection on the eye and the camera detects this reflection, as well as other features of the eye like the pupil. The camera and computer track the rotation of the eye, the direction of the gaze, blink frequency and pupil dilation.
What do they do with this data? The most common thing to do is analyze the visual path, which you can see below. Each piece of data is translated into a set of pixel coordinates, which are compiled and analyzed to find what features were seen, what captures attention, speed of eye movement, etc. All of these things say something about cognitive function and can give insight to industries like advertising, entertainment, web, medicine, and automotive.
As we all know, technology is ALWAYS changing and advancing! The University of Copenhagen has applied this technology to language and reading. They are working on technology that analyzes eye movement to reveal which words cause readers problems. The software could provide students with translations and definitions for words that their eyes linger on. However, what is new and different about this technology is that they have created an algorithm that is tailored to the individual reader. In the past, experts would have to annotate the texts by hand and identify parts of speech or words that can be omitted. With the new general model method, this human labor is no longer necessary because the eye tracking technology is like annotating in real time. This is super helpful in education, assisting students of any age with reading and learning. Eye tracking isn't just for spies anymore! So cool!
References:
http://www.eyetracking.com/About-Us/What-Is-Eye-Tracking
http://phys.org/news/2016-10-eyetracking-language-technology-readers.html
So cool! I saw a video a while back, more of a social experiment, using this technology to see where people looked first when looking at another person. Do you think there are any applications in the medical world with this technology? Computer science is so helpful!!
ReplyDeleteHi, this is a very interesting topic and it reminded me of a Indian movie that I watched sometime back that dealt with the same concept. It is great to know it transforming into reality now !!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool. I really how it will help teachers pick out specific words that are tripping up students. Technology is integral to driving education forward and this is just one example.
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