Eye Movement-Based Interaction Research For The Disabled

With the unceasing development of HCI technology, Traditional way of interaction can’t fully meet the demands of mankind. Eye movement technique attracts more and more people’s attention because of its directness, naturalness and bidirectional characteristics. The traditional way of interaction is difficult for the disabled, while eye movement interaction as a kind of non-contact way can be an ideal choice. Using eye movement as a kind of input method to interaction with the computer can effectively solve the input dilemma of the disabled, improving the quality of user experience.After analyzing available eye movement interaction system for the disabled, eye movement related technologies, physiological characteristics of the disabled as well as the hierarchy of needs theory, we puts forward the design principles and framework of eye movement system for the disabled. Unlike the previous studies of eye movement, we emphasize the necessity of introduce monitoring and feedback module to the system and also pay attention to the implicit input of eyes to improve interaction efficiency and immersion experience.Based on the design framework, we developed a prototype system: EyeSmartWard for the disabled. Combined with the digital ward system and hierarchical needs analysis, we design the function and interaction patterns of EyeSmartWard. The implementation of EyeSmartWard mainly includes the following parts:(1)Tracking and calibration:make the fixation points associated with corresponding screen coordinates.(2)Monitoring and feedback:monitor the input channel is working correctly.(3)Saccade detection and fixation smoothing:apply clustering algorithm based on classification of saccades to identify fixations and saccades and then apply Kalman filter to smooth fixation gaze points.(4)Eye movement interactive interface design:include specific time characteristics and spatial characteristics design.(5)Implementation of system functions:describe how to realize several typical functions.At last, we test and evaluate the usability and reliability of the system. Through the software test and user participation system evaluation, we draw the conclusion: EyeSmartWard can accomplish all the default function with simple interface and can be easily to be operated to satisfy the demand of the disable for daily care.