Eye tracking techniques improve aircraft simulators :: essays research papers

A simulated flight environment for pilot readiness may soon be made more realistic through the use of eye-tracking technology developed by researchers at the University of Torontos Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IMBE). Many safety and appeal benefits are obtained by training aircraft pilots under simulated conditions, but to be effective the simulation must be convicingly realistic. At present, th e training facilities use large domes and gimballed projectors, or an array of video screens, to display computer-generated images. But these installations are very expensive and image resolution is low. Further, it would take an enormous step of addi to improve image quality significantly throughout the whole viewed scene. However, based on the visual properties of the eye, realism can be obtained by providing a high-resolution area of interest insert within a large, low-resolution field of view. If the image-generating computer knows where the pilots fixation is, it mage there. The technology to hold up this possible was developed by a research team headed by Professor Richard Frecker and Professor Moshe Eizenman. The work was carried out in collaboration with CAE Electronics Ltd. of Montreal with financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Their eye-tracker can record and hit the books accurately up to 500 eye positions per second. The system works by means of capturing and touch on the reflections of a low-level beam o f camouflaged infra-red light shone onto the eye. Multi-element arrays capture the image of the eye and digitize the information, which is then processed in real time by a fast, dedicated signal bear on unit. The difference in position between the ligh tre of the pupil reveals the instantaneous cathexis of gaze. Developments by the IBME team have significantly increased the speed of signal processing in addition to enhancing accuracy of eye position estimates. Eizenman believes that "th ese improvements make our eye-tracker very effective in monitoring the large G-force environment where the pilot tends to make larger eye movements because of contraints which exist on movements of his head". In a new generation of aircraft simulators, under development by CAE Electronics Ltd. of Montreal, a head tracker which tells the direction of the pilots head is mounted on top of the helmet. The eye tracker is mounted on the front of the helmet, and is ll exactly where the pilots eye is fixating. Frecker said that "successful integration of our eye tracker into the invigorated helmet-mounted CAE flight simulator would result in a new generation of simulators that would likely replace the current large domes and cumbersome video display units.