Using mobile eye tracking to measure cognitive load through gaze behavior during walking in lower limb prosthesis...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Science
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Lower limb amputation impacts physical, psychological, and cognitive functioning.
• Prosthetic device use increases cognitive demands, posing challenges for objective measurement.
• Current subjective questionnaires for cognitive load assessment have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of mobile eye tracking in objectively measuring cognitive load.
• To monitor gaze behavior during motor tasks in prosthetic users and able-bodied controls.

Main Methods:

• Five prosthetic users and eight able-bodied controls participated.
• Eye tracking and kinematics were recorded during various locomotor tasks.
• Target fixation times and pupil diameter changes were analyzed and correlated with subjective cognitive load ratings.

Main Results:

• Target fixation time and pupil diameter showed significant correlations with subjective cognitive load in able-bodied controls.
• Correlation strength varied individually, with similar trends observed in prosthetic users.
• Mobile eye tracking demonstrated potential for objective cognitive load assessment.

Conclusions:

• Mobile eye tracking can estimate cognitive load in prosthesis users during locomotor tasks.
• This approach offers an objective, practical, and simple method for cognitive load assessment.
• Future research should validate findings with other objective measures and in real-world settings.