Low-cost Remote Eyetracking

Low-cost eyetracking using a cheap (10 Euro) webcam. On-line documentation: http://www.walterpiechulla.de/ftr_by_wlp_08/doc/index.html

Note: Version _09 will come with improved accuracy and a decent installer. Preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW4WrUeSoAY

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• OpenCV
• eyetracking
• eye
• face
• detection
• tracking
• cornea
• reflex
• low-cost
• computer
• machine
• vision
• Margetshöchheim

[andronickvll]

My brain is full of fuck from the youtube comments...

erm? boobs? guys...?

[piechulla1966]

@andronickvll

???

[piechulla1966]

@NVaizard

So, Kinect (formerly project Natale) should be very interesting. It seams to be a genuine TOF ("time of flight") cam (cool stuff). This device was hacked immediately. So, both Prime Sense and Microsoft changed their minds and published a programming API. Kinect is a big success in gaming these days. I feel that nobody knows if it can also be used for "serious applications". When I saw the movie "Minority Report" I thought "OMG, why doesn't he simply use a mouse?"

[NVaizard]

@piechulla1966 lol you kind of have a point there. :) But the reason it would work is the novelty factor. Kids in particular respond very well to new technologies, so when we apply that to educational purposes it comes back with very good results :). Anyway, thanks again for the suggestions, but we will probably look for a less sofisticated fom of tracking, like head, hand, color and shape tracking, maybe allied with gesture recognition. Any tips would be very welcome, see ya :)

[piechulla1966]

@NVaizard

Oops! You are a consumer and/or researcher, not a developer. Well, there _are_ off the shelf products. You could test them. But they are expensive, because this is a niche market. On the other hand, there are also Open Source projects (e.g. the ITU Eyetracker). If you are working on an academic project, you can try to cooperate with this research group. But eye tracking for education? A blackboard and a piece of chalk should be much more effective (IMHO).

[NVaizard]

@piechulla1966 Thanks for the answers, I'm searching for different applications of new technologies for education. Eye tracking and head tracking are strong candidates. I'm starting to give up on eye tracking simply because it looks too underdeveloped and hard to work with at this moment. But thanks a lot for your answers, they were very helpful :)

[piechulla1966]

@NVaizard

Reality check: Why using a webcam at all? I am playing with a Thorlabs DCC1545M camera with Tamron 12VM412ASIR optics these days. No need to remove the IR blocking filter: Professional B/W cams do not have an IR blocking filter. Why breaking an expensive webcam, if can buy what you really need if you invest just some additional bucks?

[piechulla1966]

@NVaizard

4. Option to enable near infrared (NIR). If you manage to remove the IR blocking filter, you get a pitch black pupil, which is easy to track. This manipulation is impossible with most webcams, very easy with some webcams (e.g. MS VX-1000 and MS VX-6000), and hard with the PS3 Eye (I didn't even try it -- but others did).

[piechulla1966]

@NVaizard

1. Focal length: most webcam's optics have a wide angle characteristic. You do not want this for eyetracking. With the PS3 Eye you switch between two focal lengths, one of them is interesting for eyetracking. 2. Sensor quality: Hard to measure, but the PS3 Eye has a contrast that seems not so bad at all. 3. Speed: There is a rumor that says you can get 640*480 @ 60 fps with the PS3 Eye -- did not work for me, maybe somehow i fucked up the third party Windows PC driver installation.

[NVaizard]

@piechulla1966 Yeah, I tought about it too. But I was wandering if there was a "technical why", like when you buy a TV you go for the one with greater resolution, but when you go for a webcam looking for eye tracking what should you look for?

It bugs me...