A mobile eye tracker is a system that uses a smartphone's camera to track a user's eye movements and gaze direction on the device's screen, often without requiring any additional hardware.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
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Functionality: Mobile eye trackers utilize the front-facing (selfie) camera of a smartphone or tablet to monitor the user's face and eyes. Software algorithms then analyze the video feed to determine where the user is looking on the screen.
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Hardware Requirements: Typically, no extra hardware is needed. The system relies on the integrated cameras of the mobile device. This is a key advantage over traditional eye trackers that often require specialized cameras, headsets, or external sensors.
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Applications:
- User Experience (UX) Research: Understand how users interact with mobile apps and websites by tracking their gaze patterns. Identify areas of interest, points of confusion, and usability issues.
- Accessibility: Develop assistive technologies for individuals with disabilities who may control devices with their eye movements.
- Gaming: Create more immersive and interactive mobile gaming experiences that respond to the player's gaze.
- Advertising: Analyze the effectiveness of mobile ads by tracking which elements capture the user's attention.
- Healthcare: Assist individuals with motor impairments interact with mobile devices.
- Training: Providing feedback during training.
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Accuracy: The accuracy of mobile eye trackers can vary depending on the software, device, and environmental conditions (e.g., lighting). While not always as precise as high-end, dedicated eye-tracking hardware, advancements in software and processing power have significantly improved accuracy.
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Advantages:
- Portability: The system is integrated within a mobile device, making it highly portable and convenient for on-the-go eye-tracking.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Eliminating the need for specialized hardware reduces the overall cost.
- Accessibility: Wider availability and ease of use compared to traditional eye trackers.
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Limitations:
- Accuracy: Can be less accurate than dedicated eye-tracking hardware. Accuracy can be affected by factors like lighting, device movement, and individual differences in eye shape and size.
- Processing Power: Real-time eye tracking requires significant processing power, which can strain the battery life of mobile devices.
- Calibration: Requires calibration for each user to ensure accurate tracking.
In summary, a mobile eye tracker provides a software-based solution for tracking eye movements on smartphones and tablets, opening up new possibilities for research, accessibility, gaming, and other applications.
