Use of Eye Control to Select Switches

Abstract

Eye-controlled switching has been proposed as a biocybernetic control approach which may increase system effectiveness while reducing pilot workload. In this experiment, six subjects selected discrete switches on the front panel of a cockpit simulator while manually tracking a target. In two eye-controlled methods, the subjects directed their gaze at the switch indicated by an auditory cue and then made a consent input (either a manual response or a verbal response). In a conventional manual condition, subjects selected the switches with their left hand. The analysis of mean switching time suggests that eye control is a feasible alternative when hands-off control is desired. Tracking performance was found to differ significantly among switching conditions, indicating the importance of quantifying the efficiency of candidate control methods in visual workload environments analogous to that of the application environment.

Gaze typing compared with input by head and hand

“…However when gaze-based selections are used for more involved tasks such as typing or switch selections, this superiority has not been manifest. The speed of gaze selections has often been measured to be very similar to that of hand (mouse) selections (e.g., Calhoun [1986], Miyoshi and Murata [2001]), but exhibiting a higher error rate (e.g., Ohno [1998], Hansen et al [2003]). The productivity of gaze typing using on-screen keyboards has been relatively low, compared with other input modalities.…”

Summer Research Program - 1998 Graduate Student Research Program Volume 7 Armstrong Laboratory

“…Admittedly, this is a coarse comparison since there are differences in the details of the selection tasks. For example, Calhoun, Janson and Arbak (1986) asked participants to select switches located on the front panel of a cockpit simulator. This task was performed manually, as well as with eye-line-of-sight-based control.…”