A general method for the point of regard estimation in 3D space

Abstract

A novel approach to 3D gaze estimation for wearable multi-camera devices is proposed and its effectiveness is demonstrated both theoretically and empirically. The proposed approach, firmly grounded on the geometry of the multiple views, introduces a calibration procedure that is efficient, accurate, highly innovative but also practical and easy. Thus, it can run online with little intervention from the user. The overall gaze estimation model is general, as no particular complex model of the human eye is assumed in this work. This is made possible by a novel approach, that can be sketched as follows: each eye is imaged by a camera; two conics are fitted to the imaged pupils and a calibration sequence, consisting in the subject gazing a known 3D point, while moving his/her head, provides information to 1) estimate the optical axis in 3D world; 2) compute the geometry of the multi-camera system; 3) estimate the Point of Regard in 3D world. The resultant model is being used effectively to study visual attention by means of gaze estimation experiments, involving people performing natural tasks in wide-field, unstructured scenarios.

An Interactive Logistics Centre Information Integration System Using Virtual Reality

“…(Munn et al 2008) proposed a method where the 3D Point of Regard (POR) is estimated from a portable monocular video-based eye tracker applying computer vision techniques to get 3D structure and motion from video sequences. (Pirri et al 2011) proposed a model-based approach for 3D gaze estimation for wearable multicamera devices. The methods described above are relatively complicated.…”

Saliency prediction in the coherence theory of attention

“…Our model is based experimentally on data collected in dynamic 3D environments via the Gaze Machine, a gaze measurement framework. This framework allows to record pupil motion at the required speed and projects the point of regard in the 3D space (Pirri, Pizzoli, & Rudi, 2011;Pizzoli, Rigato, Shabani, & Pirri, 2011). To generate proto-objects the model is extended to vibrating circular membranes whose initial displacement is generated by the features that have been selected by classification.…”

Multi-Sensor Localization and Navigation for Remote Manipulation in Smoky Areas

“…Due to the fact that GPS cannot be used in such scenarios [2][3], many solutions are based on visual landmarks [4] [5] or lasers [6] [7], using in most of the cases an already existing map of the place. Once the visibility conditions are good, these techniques can work in a very accurate manner [19].…”