A low-cost, high-performance video-based binocular eye tracker for psychophysical research

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Accurate eye tracking is crucial for understanding visual perception and neurological conditions.
• Existing commercial eye trackers are often expensive, limiting accessibility for research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a cost-effective, high-performance binocular eye tracker.
• To offer a viable alternative to expensive commercial eye tracking systems.

Main Methods:

• A pupil-based binocular eye tracker was constructed using standard hardware components and Visual C++ software.
• Automated calibration, noise analysis, blink detection, and artifact analysis were implemented.
• Performance was evaluated against a commercial system using simultaneous measurements in 10 participants.

Main Results:

• The developed eye tracker demonstrated performance comparable to a well-established commercial system.
• The system excels in the central 10 degrees of the visual field due to its calibration scheme.
• Key features include automated simultaneous binocular calibration and real-time artifact detection.

Conclusions:

• The low-cost eye tracker is a promising resource for binocular eye movement studies.
• The system's features and performance make it suitable for various research applications.
• This development can significantly reduce the financial barrier for researchers in eye tracking studies.