EYE-TRACKING TECHNOLOGY – SLEEP MASK AND GLASSES
Eye tracking is about understating the state and activity of the eye. This includes tracking your point of gaze, the duration of your stare at any given point, when you blink and how your pupils react to different visual stimuli. But it’s also about where you’re not looking, what you’re ignoring, what gets you distracted, and so forth. Refer to What Is Eye Tracking for more information.
Medical researchers are finding new uses for eye-tracking technology every day. The data researchers now have access to has uncovered incredible new ways of diagnosing diseases such as ADHD, Autism, OCD, Schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s/Alzheimer’s. Additionally, this technology along with other biosensors has been used to notify truck drivers when they are showing signs of drowsiness when driving.
This type of use case often uses other bio-sensory technology in conjunction with eye-tracking in order to arrive at health advice and diagnoses. Medical researchers are often looking at fixation sequences, pupil size, focus point, and other attention-based metrics to better understand what is happening in the human brain. Refer to SPHEREGEN for more information.
While the concept might sound simple, the technology behind it is quite complex and has been made possible thanks to advances in sensor technology as well as image analysis and
recognition. Eye movements occur during every sleep stage. Regular eye movements and REM can be disrupted by stress, injury, disease, medications, and alcohol. Somalytics SomaSleep can track and classify eye movements, including REM, for closed or open eyes during sleep or while the user is awake. This allows users while at home to see inside their sleep patterns in ways that have not previously been possible so they can better understand the fatigue that occurs even though they theoretically slept and can inform doctors when there are sleep pattern changes.
The SomaSleep mask will operate via battery for eight hours collecting unprecedented health data. Due to the low power, it requires to operate, the mask also stays cool. Data can be integrated via an SDK with top consumer fitness trackers or will be available through the SomaSleep mobile app.
SomaSleep uses Somalytics’ award-winning SomaCap carbon-nanotube paper composite (CPC™) capacitive sensors to track eye movements. Miniature and highly sensitive to the human body, they can also be used for proximity sensing, gesture control, and touch and fluid monitoring.
A common technology for tracking a sleeping person’s eye movements is to stick hard-wired electrodes onto the face. Traditionally, a technique known as electrooculography is utilized for tracking nocturnal eye movements. It involves adhering to pairs of electrodes to the skin either above and below or to either side of
The experimental Chesma Eye Tracking Mask developed by an international consortium led 
by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, it incorporates multiple built-in electrodes on its underside. These are made from a soft, conformable polymer hydrogel combined with conductive silver threads, and they simply press up against the skin as the mask is worn on the face.
The device additionally contains a single pressure sensor that sits against an artery, for monitoring the wearer’s heart rate – another important factor in sleep studies.
Researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science (Columbia Engineering) have now invented a glass that shows promise for applications in AR glasses. The
team created a flat optical device that focuses only a few selected narrowband colors of light while remaining transparent to non-selected light over the vast majority of the spectrum.
They created a “nonlocal metasurface” that can manipulate light waves in distinct ways at distinct targeted wavelengths while leaving light at untargeted wavelengths unaffected. The devices exerted both spatial and spectral control over light by selecting a color and focusing it not just at a single wavelength, but also independently at multiple different wavelengths.
Because the wavelength-selective metasurface lenses are thinner than human hair, they are well-suited to developing AR goggles that look and feel like comfortable and fashionable eyeglasses. The Metasurfaces can also be used to substantially reduce the complexity of quantum optics setups that manipulate ultracold atoms. wavelength-selective metasurface platform by including more than two perturbations into a single metasurface and by stacking more than two Metasurfaces into a compound device.
For more information, Click Nonlocal” Metasurface Enables High-Performing AR Eyeglasses.
Tobii Pro Glasses 3 is a wearable and ultralight eye-tracking technology to capture and analyze natural visual behavior in real-world environments. Developed to obtain objective data
on the human visual gaze, by showing exactly what a person is watching while moving freely in any real-world environment. Its great portability, maximum comfort, and minimal intrusion open an infinite range of possibilities to use it both in the laboratory and in out-of-the-lab scenarios. Developed with slippage compensation and an innovative 3D eye model to grant stability and minimize gaze data loss. It comes with an intuitive and powerful software platform for easy calibration, recording, and real-time visualization. Combine this technology with other devices such as EEG or other biometrics, to obtain deeper insights into human behavior.
Mitacs Supported Real-time Fatigue Detection by remote eye tracking. Eye movements (eyelid closure, blink rate and duration) are sensitive indicators of fatigue. Six Safety Systems has developed an eye-tracking system that can monitor eye movements remotely.
A study by researchers at the UCLA School of Nursing shows that using eye-tracking technology could improve nursing education by reducing the role of subjective assessments and by providing more consistent evaluations. The study is published online ahead of print in the journal Clinical Simulation in Nursing.
Research is ongoing to further test the utility of eye-tracking glasses as an assessment tool in simulation and in clinical settings. This is being done with video review and competency scoring by both experienced nursing faculty and clinical experts who routinely perform assessments of nurses to ensure the reliability and objectivity of eye-tracking glasses as an assessment method in simulation
A battery-free eye tracker developed at Dartmouth College uses NIR Lights and Photodiodes, instead of cameras, to make the system energy efficient and less bulky. The eye tracker integrated into a regular pair of glasses. The system relies on NIR lights and photodiodes for eye-tracking and is powered by two thin solar cells on the arms of the glasses. Courtesy of DartNets Lab.
The wearable eye tracker tracks both the 2D position and diameter of the pupil. Small photodiodes on the lens frame sense light reflected by the eyeball. The reflected light is then used to infer the pupil position based on the pupil’s light absorption.
SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI), has completed the integration of the company’s renowned eye tracking technology for use in slim and lightweight eyeglasses. Already
considered an internationally recognized standard in professional research and training applications, the SMI Eye Tracking Glasses now offer Natural Gaze™ headgear allowing for completely natural subject interaction, full wireless observation and test control in real-world environments.
The new Natural GazeTM design provides maximal peripheral perception and binocular vision—two key features critical for realistic depth perception and natural visual orientation. Beyond this feature, the mobile eye tracking solution comes equipped with full wireless control, live annotations for efficient field use, robust 60Hz binocular tracking technology and a high-definition scene camera.
Just like a weighted blanket, sleeping masks give you a little extra comfort at bedtime. If you have insomnia or get stress-related headaches, a smart sleeping mask can help. Unlike old-school masks that block out only a bit of light, smart masks offer precise light control, sound muting, and more.
Equipped with intelligent airbags and heating technology, BREO iSeeM eye massager offers a 100% controllable eye massage by aligning with your personalized wellness routine via BREO
smart App to fits your need the best. It is designed in relieving eyestrain, reducing eye fatigue, remedying natural headaches, and everyday relaxation.
The key to a truly effective eye relief treatment is the precise pressure. Here’s how iSeeM achieves it: the refined airbags stimulate acupoints around the eyes, temple, and forehead, delivering the perfect eye soothing experience.
A Muse “Digital Sleeping Pill” or DSP is a responsive new kind of sleep experience that is designed to put you to sleep and help you fall back asleep if you’ve woken up during the night. When you fall asleep your brain activity changes.
Muse can detect these changes and use them to gently modulate your sleep experience, cueing your brain that it’s time for sleep. If you wake in the night, we use the same technology to automatically guide you back to sleep again.
Smart Eye Technology is designed for Head, eye, and gaze tracking, Facial expression analysis and Emotion AI, Distraction Detection (e.g., drowsiness, attention), Activity and body
pose tracking, Object detection and Biosensor data fusion software. For Automotive improving road safety to save lives around the world and redefining the mobility experience to enhance comfort, wellness, and entertainment. Road-ready embedded Driver Monitoring Systems and Interior Sensing for OEMs and Tier 1s.
Eye Tracking Technology for Automotive
Eye tracking technology from Tobii and others has been investigated for determining health and wellness of driver and passenger in car. An eye tracker captures eye images and associated reflections and records where the pupil is and precisely where a person is looking on the screen.
The technology could be very important for current vehicles and autonomous vehicles to determine:
- Visual fatigue
- Binocular issues such as eye teaming/depth perception, eye alignment affecting reading, work, driving, sports
- Oculomotor issues
- Imminent or current health issue such as fainting, heart attack, stroke, concussion, other non-specific neurological issues
- Parkinson’s and 16 other movement disorders (licensed from VCU and the VA)
- Impairment – from medicine, drugs or alcohol
- Expected during 2018 – indicators for other specific neurological issues such as Alzheimer’s.
Possible Additional Product – Thoughts:
In-automobile Performance Vision Test – better/safer drivers
- Teen driver
- Elderly driver
- General driver
Possible inclusions
- Performance Vision Assessment (under 2 minutes) tailored to driving performance
- Modeled similar to Sports Vision EyeQ but short
- Norms include elite athletes or even top drivers
For more information contact RightEye LLC by clicking www.righteye.com
Technology Design Contribution: Tobii Technology AB
Tobii Eye Tracking Automotive Applications
Eye tracking can help with Driver Attention, Drowsiness, Distraction and Eye controlled devices in the car like Comfort systems & Infotainment. Reducing driver distraction is the more complex solution – implementing that will automatically include the capability to manage devices using eye control.
Basic requirements are:
Must Detect
- Presence of eyes.
- Blink data (rate and duration).
- Perclose (degree of Perclose and eyelid velocity).
- Eye gaze.
- Head position and rotation.
Must Function Well Under Varying Conditions
- Full sunlight and night driving
- Glasses and contacts. Even sunglasses
- Different people (color eyes, short and tall people, mascara, droopy eyelids)
- Large and fast body movements
- Vibration, shock, heat, cold etc.
- Must be easily integrated into dashboard. Should not have to be placed at steering wheel instrumentation.
- Must be plug & play – no calibrations or settings required
Additional Opportunities for Automotive Eye Tracking
- Detect drug/alcohol impaired drivers
- Driver authorization/recognition
- Augmented attention (verify and direct driver’s attention to traffic events)
- Black box – record and replay the scene of an accident
- Control instrumentation for Head Up Displays and position Display
Technology concept to detect driver distraction and acute drowsiness by measuring eye movements of the eyelids and the direction of eye gaze to measure and warn drivers of an uncontrolled sleep onset or critical lack of attention to the road.
Tobii presents technology, specifically designed for the vehicle industry that works under the tough conditions of real cars and trucks. System that monitors and warns the driver of an imminent sleep onset does not only reduce accidents and save lives but can also increase driving workforce productivity.
Eyelid movements have shown to be reliable measure for acute drowsiness. PERCLOS (percentage of eyelid closure) in combination with eyelid velocity has a 93% correlation with drowsiness. By implementing a notification of acute drowsiness to the driver, it is possible to prevent accidents.
Sensor registers and analyzes the physiological aspects of the eye through detecting:
- Presence and position of the eyes
- PERCLOS, eyelid closure
- Velocity of the eyelid
Sensors operate regardless of glasses, lenses, age, ethnic origin, eye color and other aspects that may affect the physiology of the eye. The sensor works even in tough environments ranging from night driving to bright sunshine.
The Tobii attention and alert system is a robust solution for use in cars and commercial vehicles that meets the industry’s requirements on scalability and price. Mounted in the dashboard or the steering column, it can be an entirely automatic and unobtrusive system, unnoticed by the driver until needed.
The Tobii attention and alert drowsiness detection system can also be mounted as plug-in solution for aftermarket implementation. Its modular sensors can be mounted onto any vehicle’s dashboard.
In addition to monitoring drowsiness and distraction, an in-vehicle eye tracking system may be used to provide:
- on-road / off-road attention detection
- personal driver settings adjustments
- driver recognition
- eye control of head-up displays
- automatic dimming of instruments you are not looking at (“black panel”)
- augmented attention
- a black box that could record and replay driver behavior before and during an accident
