Eye-tracking, brain monitoring experiment

The University of Leicester in England has conducted research combining the latest developments in brain and eye monitoring technologies to reduce the number of road accidents.

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the research has been undertaken in collaboration with the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, with an objective to develop a system that automatically alerts drivers when they show signs of drowsiness.

The system combines two recent technology advancements, high-speed eye tracking, which records eye movements in detail with the help of infra-red cameras, and high-density electroencephalograph (EEG) technology, which precisely measures electrical brain activity using electrodes placed on the scalp.

With the development of new signal processing techniques, the research has overcome earlier technological hurdles, which made simultaneous monitoring of brain activity and eye movement difficult.

The proposed system will be deployed in the vehicle and connected unobtrusively to the driver, with the EEG detecting brain signals that occur in the early stages of drowsiness.

"The proposed system will be deployed in the vehicle and connected unobtrusively to the driver, with the EEG detecting brain signals that occur in the early stages of drowsiness."

The eye tracker will support this by detecting erratic gaze patterns symptomatic of someone starting to feel tired.

According to data from the Department for Transport, fatigue has been estimated to account for around 20% of traffic accidents on UK motorways.

University of Leicester researcher Matias Ison said that the research has managed to overcome the challenges of integrating eye-tracking and EEG technologies, and is leading to a better understanding of how your brain responds when your eyes are moving.

"Monitoring the alertness of drivers is just one of many potential applications for this work.

"Building on the foundation provided by our EPSRC-funded project, we hope to see the first of these starting to become feasible within the next three to five years," Ison added.

The 14-month research project, ‘Bridging the Gap between Eye Movements and Event-related Potentials’, secured a total EPSRC funding of over £101,000.

The breakthrough achieved by the recent research can also be applied to various other everyday applications over the coming years.

Image: An eye-tracking, brain monitoring experiment in progress. The infra-red camera is on the small black console on the desk in front of the main PC screen. Photo: courtesy of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.