Eye Movement and Usability Lab FHNW

Eye tracker with a refresh rate of up to 2,000 Hz. High-resolution eye tracker for cognitive experiments, human-computer interaction studies (e.g. gaze-adaptive displays) and usability studies. The mobile carrying case enables data acquisition on site.

It supports a refresh rate of up to 2,000 Hz when used with head stabilisation and 1000 Hz in a remote environment (the head can be moved freely). The high-resolution eye tracker is suitable for cognitive experiments, human-computer interaction studies (e.g. gaze-adaptive displays) and usability studies. The EyeLink Portable Duo is, as the name suggests, a portable system. It is installed in our usability lab, but can be easily disassembled and transported with a mobile carrying case to collect data on site.

Hardware included:

• Soft and hard carrying cases
• Lightweight host laptop
• Portable Duo camera (centrepiece of the eye tracker)
• Laptop and tripod mounts
• Lightweight headrest
• Reaction device (e.g. for recording reaction time)

Some specifications:

• Sampling rate: up to 2000hz
• Average accuracy: Up to 0.15°
• Resolution of saccade events: 0.05° microsaccades
• Spatial resolution: 0.01°
• Pupil size resolution: 0.1% of the diameter
• Compatibility with spectacles: Excellent
• Online event analysis: FixaKons / Saccade / Blink / FixaKon Updatee

Further specifications

Our software solutions:

• SR Research WebLink (1x lifetime licence) is a screen recording software solution that allows EyeLink users to record eye movements while participants view and interact with websites, computer software, live events (e.g. puppetry tasks), game consoles, tablets, mobile phones and other dynamic media such as videos and PDF documents. It is ideal for usability tests, HCI research and many other scenarios.
• With the SR Research Experiment Builder (1x lifetime licence), users can create anything from simple experiments where each trial shows a static text or image and then waits for a response from the participant, to sophisticated experiments where complex gaze-dependent event sequences can be planned with excellent temporal precision. Frequently used by psychologists and neuroscientists
• The EyeLink Data Viewer (1x lifetime licence) is a tool that allows users to view, filter and generate output reports from EDF data files recorded with EyeLink eye trackers. The EyeLink Data Viewer is used to analyse your data recorded with the EyeLink Portable Duo.

Lightweight eye tracker with 30 Hz resolution. Fully functional, suitable e.g. for web usability studies, but also useful for cognitive experiments and studies on human-computer interaction (e.g. gaze-adaptive displays) if the precision requirements are not too high.
Software: Tobii Studio

Augmented (virtual, augmented, mixed) reality XRd devices with built-in eye trackers (available in the media lab or at the FHNW campus)

It is not yet possible to access eye-tracking data. It is possible to highlight objects when the user looks at them. However, this is managed by an Apple framework, so we have no control over what happens.

The HoloLens 2 has integrated eye tracking, which can be used to visualise gaze and interactions with objects. It is also possible to collect eye tracking data, e.g. which object is looked at and for how long. Other eye-tracking data requires programming or the use of ARETT. Four examples are available for student projects.

Specification of eye tracking

• Real-time tracking with 2 IR cameras

The HTC Vive Pro Eye is an enhanced regular HTC Vive Pro version with precise eye tracking from Tobii.

EyeTracking specification:

• Gaze data output (binocular): 120Hz
• Accuracy: 0.5°-1.1°
• Calibrations: 5-point
• Trackable field of view: 110°

Possible data output:

• Time stamp
• Viewing direction
• Pupil position
• Pupil size
• Openness of the eyes

Programming interface: HTC SRanipal SDK
SDK engine compatibility: Unity, Unreal

The sampling rate is about 72 Hz. Eye tracking is used to make your avatar's eye contact and facial expressions look more natural during virtual interaction with other users and to improve the image quality within the area you are looking at in VR. Eye tracking can also be used as an input, meaning you can interact with virtual content depending on where you are looking. Eye tracking is not used to identify you. Eye tracking estimates the direction your eyes are looking and the images of your eyes never leave your headset and are deleted after processing.

Eye tracking is also possible with ordinary cameras, albeit less stable, and we have experience in conducting eye tracking studies with some commercially available devices and webcams. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.