The Eyes Have It: The Utility of Eye Tracking Technology
Eyes may be windows to the soul, but eye tracking technology provides panoramic views into human behaviour and psychology. This versatile innovation sheds new light on how we interact with the world.
The Eyes Have It: The Utility of Eye Tracking Technology
You’d think that eye tracking technology is so very 21st century, simply a product of the internet age. But you’d be wrong! The very first eye tracking devices were developed in the early 1900s, and they were quite rudimentary. They used beams of light to track the movement of the eye, and the data was recorded on film.
It wasn’t until the 1960s when mobile eye tracking technology was developed and has more in common with the computer-based eye tracking devices we have today. These early devices used sensors to track the movement of the eye. In the 1970s and 1980s, there were great advances in both the technology and the psychological theories behind eye tracking.
In the 1990s, eye tracking technology started to become more widely used in research and commercial settings. Companies like Tobii, the market leaders in eye tracking tech, started to develop eye tracking devices that could be used in a variety of settings, like labs, offices, and even homes. In the 2000s, eye tracking technology became even more advanced, with higher resolution cameras and faster response times. This allowed for even more precise and accurate eye tracking data.
Now, in the 2020s, eye tracking is being used in a wide range of applications, from scientific research, detecting early signs of illness, gaming and immersive experiences in virtual reality, and understanding consumer behaviour in retail and automative. All of it very interesting, very innovative and pretty much out of the headlights…until Apple announced the Vision Pro mixed reality headset.
From what we know so far, the Apple Vision Pro headset will have advanced eye tracking technology. It’s this combination of eye tracking and sensors that detect hand gestures that enables users to control the computer displays presented on two 4k mini-screens in front of their eyes. The point is that if the Vision pro takes off, and why wouldn’t it, then eye tracking tech is going to thrust eye tracking tech into the spotlight and make it a much more discussed technology than it has been for the past decade.
With that in mind, and to help WiserPLUS! subscribers be a little bit wiser! about this emerging technology, I take a look at the utility of eye tracking tech.
All Eyes On You
Eye tracking technology is a tool that’s already widely used across many industries. But with the accelerated pace of change driven by the adoption of AI and immersive technologies, such as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, the use of eye tracking tech will become increasingly prevalent. Grand View Research forecast that the sector will grow at over 33% per annum until 2030. The market is already a $1 billion sector and is forecast to exceed $6 billion by 2028.
As the name implies, eye tracking involves tracking the movements of our eyes. But why is this done? Well, the eye movements we make on a daily basis reveal a lot about what we’re actually focusing on and what our conscious and unconscious brains are thinking about. For example, advertisers can use our eye movements to determine which aspects of their ads attract our attention, such as colour, size, or positioning of the product or logo.
By tracking our eye movements instead of asking for our opinions, researchers can learn what we are subconsciously attracted too even if we consciously think it’s something else. You see this played out on TikTok with the eye tracker challenge. Men and women are challenged to watch a video and NOT look at something, such as a woman’s breasts or a man’s 6 pack. The eye tracking technology in a webcam shows exactly which part of the video the victim is focused on. Interestingly, and unscientifically measured, men fail this test more than women. Read into that what you will!
How Eye Tracking Works
In a nutshell, eye tracking devices use a combination of sensors, cameras, and algorithms to track the movement of the eye. The sensors detect even the smallest movements of the eye, and the cameras capture high-resolution images of the eye. The algorithms then analyse the images and data from the sensors to determine where the eye is looking and how it is moving. This information is then used to control a computer or device, like a VR headset or a website.
There are actually two main types of eye tracking devices: corneal reflection-based and video-based.
Corneal reflection-based eye trackers use infrared light to detect tiny reflections off the cornea of the eye. These reflections change depending on where the eye is looking, and this information is used to track the eye's movement.
Video-based eye trackers use visible light and high-resolution cameras to track the eye's movement. They analyse features of the eye, like the pupil, iris, and sclera, to determine where the eye is looking.
Without getting too technical, there are several different technologies that are used in eye tracking devices. Infrared light is used in corneal reflection-based eye trackers, as I just mentioned. Another common technology is called "pupilometry", which is the measurement of the size of the pupil.
Some eye trackers use specialised cameras that are sensitive to near-infrared light, which is not visible to the human eye. These cameras can track even the smallest movements of the eye. Finally, some eye trackers use electromyography, or EMG, which is the measurement of tiny electrical signals from muscles around the eye.
Anyway, I’m drifting outside of my comfort zone, so that’s enough of the technobabble. What interests me the most is the utility of eye tracking technology.
RETAIL: Keeping an Eye on Consumers
Retailers have been using eye tracking for over a decade to understand customer behaviour in stores and online. Sensors track where shoppers gaze, linger, and focus as they browse products. This reveals valuable data to optimise shelf placement, product design, and promotions. Scientists describe the human eye as "involuntarily honest," and retailers are leveraging this involuntary honesty to inform marketing strategies.
Consumer brands like Unilver, Kellogg’s and Ikea have employed eye tracking technology to gauge consumer interest at trade shows and in simulated stores.
Eye tracking also allows companies to virtually "try on" concepts before investing in physical stores. For example, supermarket chain Giant Eagle used eye tracking goggles to test a new layout by having shoppers traverse a virtual store. This allowed testing modifications and measuring engagement before construction even began.
According to data from Tobii, over 3,500 companies and over 2,500 research institutions now use eye-tracking. It’s a controversial topic, for sure. Namely because, according to a Forrester survey, nearly one in two people say they’d stop shopping somewhere if they were being tracked in a store (but not when they’re tracked online, which is kinda odd and illogically emotional!)
The Forrester study also found many people don’t understand how their behaviours and data are being tracked or don’t know about or understand the kinds of technologies being used; a lack of consumer consent means a privacy violation as a result. On the flip side, new benefits of eye-tracking are being realized as more research is done. For instance, that tracking eye movements can potentially lead to safer workplaces, like in the case of healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, or sports workers. This is important. Up to 80% of occupational accidents involve human error, according to Tobii Pro data.
AUTO: Driving Insights on the Road
The auto industry is finding multiple uses for eye tracking in gauging driver attention and enhancing safety. The tech has been used mostly in the design process for driver dashboards and infotainment systems, but increasingly will be used in monitoring driver awareness. From 2024, all new cars in the European Union will have to provide a driver monitoring system, combining a number of sensory inputs to assess the state of concentration of a driver on the road. One of these sensors will be eye tracking, tracking where the driver is looking.
There driver monitoring systems use infrared cameras to track eye movements and can alert the drowsy driver. Or intervene and adapt autonomous control over the vehicle by adjusting cruise control or lane guidance if the eye tracking detects that the gaze has wandered.
Dutch company Smart Eye provides such driver monitoring technology and has partnered with automakers like BMW and Audi. Volvo’s electric car venture Polestar has built the Smart Eye driver monitoring system into the Polestar 3, the company’s mass-market electric crossover and ostensibly its most important vehicle to date. The Polestar 3’s platform mate, the electric Volvo EX90, is also launching with a dual-camera eye-monitoring safety system.
Telsa introduced an eye tracking driver monitoring system for autonomous mode on the Model 3 and Model Y back in 2021.
In the design process, SEAT is using eye tracking to analyse where drivers look when interacting with the infotainment system, and the data obtained is used to improve the design of future consoles. Volkswagen has drivers wear eye tracking glasses while test driving prototypes, identifying areas of excessive distraction. This feedback allows iterating interface designs to minimise eyes off the road.
CONSUMER PRODUCTS: Through the Eyes of the Consumer
Consumer electronics companies are integrating eye tracking into phones, laptops, and tablets as an intuitive control mechanism.
Apple added "follow my gaze" capability to iPad Pro models with iOS16, allowing hands-free navigation of the screen through eye movements and head tracking. Applications include scrolling webpages or documents without touching the screen. Swedish company Tobii has developed eye tracking integration for Windows laptops, which it says can boost productivity by reducing time searching for the mouse cursor.
In March, Google introduced an accessibility feature built on eye tracking that allows people to select pre-written phrases on their phones, just by looking in different directions. It uses the phone’s camera to track eye movements and translate them into interface operations on the phone.
Last year, LG introduced a computer screen that adjusts its position to suit changes in the users positure throughout a day. As the user sinks lover into their chair as the day goes on, so the screen follows the users gaze using eye tracking and tilts the screen accordingly.
VIDEO: Gaming Gets Immersive
The gaming industry is an early adopter and innovator for eye tracking technology. Applications range from avatar control to analysing player engagement through eye tracking keyboards and mice. Game studios are also using biosensors to evaluate scare reactions, learning cues, and emotional resonance when playing and testing new game titles. This provides insight to improve level design and gameplay mechanics.
Eye tracking is also being used to create more immersive experiences. Danish company Unspecular has integrated eye tracking into VR headsets to enable foveated rendering.
Foveated rendering is a technique that's used in virtual reality headsets to improve performance and reduce the amount of processing power needed. It works by only rendering the part of the image that the user is directly looking at in high resolution, and reducing the resolution of the rest of the image.
This is based on the fact that the human eye has the highest resolution in the centre of the field of view, and the resolution decreases towards the edges. This technique allows the headset to use less processing power and deliver a better image overall. For example, the Meta Quest 2 headset uses foveated rendering to boost the performance of its games and apps. The technique can also be used in augmented reality headsets, like Microsoft's HoloLens and Apple’s new Vision pro mixed reality headset.
It's a really useful technology that's getting a lot of attention and is being used in self-driving cars to improve how the car's cameras track objects. It's a bit like how our eyes naturally focus on one thing at a time.
HEALTH: Tracking More Than Meets the Eye
Up until now, the examples I’ve given have associated eye tracking with understanding human behaviour. But the tech also has medical applications.
Eye tracking technology is actually really useful in healthcare, as it can be used to detect early signs of certain diseases and conditions.
Eye tracking can be used to detect glaucoma, a condition that causes damage to the optic nerve and can lead to blindness if left untreated. Eye tracking can detect the condition by looking at how the eye moves and tracks objects.
Similarly, it can also be used to detect conditions like Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, as people with these conditions have specific patterns of eye movement that can be detected with eye tracking.
Eye tracking can be used to detect amblyopia, or "lazy eye", which is a condition where the eyes do not work together properly. This condition can be detected by looking at the way the eyes work together while looking at an object.
Further, eye tracking can be used to detect autism spectrum disorder in children. Children with autism often have specific eye movement patterns that can be detected with eye tracking.
In sports, eye tracking can also be used to detect concussions, as people with concussions often have problems with eye movement. Teams like the Dallas Cowboys use eye tracking tech for concussion screening.
Eye trackers aid in diagnosing a wide range of mental health conditions like Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, PTSD, and autism by detecting abnormal gaze patterns. Many mental illnesses and degenerative conditions have specific changes in eye movement patterns that can be detected with eye tracking. For example, depression can cause a reduction in the amount of eye movement. Similarly, dementia and Alzheimer's disease can cause specific patterns of eye movement. There is even research that shows that eye tracking could be used to detect the early stages of schizophrenia. In general, changes in eye movement patterns can indicate changes in brain function, which can be a sign of mental illness or degenerative conditions.
ACCESSIBILITY: Enabling An Outer Body Experience
Of all the examples I’ve listed, the most uplifting and awe-inspiring use case for eye tracking is with people living with severe bodily impairment. For these people, eye tracking is used with a "computer gaze control" system to allow people with impairments to operate computers or control other devices using only their eyes.
For example, people with quadriplegia or paralysis can use this system to operate a computer, control their home environment, or even drive a car! The system works by tracking the person's eye movements and interpreting them as commands. This can give people with disabilities much more independence and control over their lives.
One example is the story of Jan Scheuermann. Jan is a woman who was diagnosed with quadriplegia and lost the ability to move all four limbs. However, with the help of an eye tracking system and a brain-computer interface, she learned to control a robotic arm with her eyes. Using this system, she was able to do amazing things like feeding herself, drinking from a cup, and even playing the guitar! Jan has gone even further and is advancing the science of brain-computer interface. Using only her thoughts, Jan has flown an F35 jet plane in a flight simulator.
Here’s The Thing:
Like a detective deciphering clues, eye tracking reveals what draws human attention, informs decision making, and indicates emotional response. This technology has moved rapidly from lab prototype to real world integration across industries. While privacy concerns exist, responsible use of eye tracking data has the potential to create positive impact in areas like public health, transportation safety, and human-computer interaction. The diverse applications show that this technology has truly opened new windows into understanding our species. As methods become more sophisticated, the future promises even broader utilisation of eye tracking to gain perception of how we perceive.
About The Author
Rick Huckstep is a writer, podcaster and YouTuber with a passion for emerging technologies and the way they will shape tomorrow’s digital world.
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