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Separately, virtual reality and eye-tracking have been used for decades. When the two are used together, high-fidelity research and behavioral data can be collected for purposes ranging from commercial to medical to industrial. In this article, we will go through the most common virtual reality eye tracking use cases for enterprises and why you should adopt it into your organization.
Eye-tracking allows you to observe eye positions and movements, and analyze gaze in 2D and 3D settings. Usually, this data is visualized through a real-time cursor or an aggregate heatmap. In more advanced cases, biometric data gathered from eye tracking can also assess micro-expressions such as the speed and frequency of eye movements, blinking, and pupil dilations.
Taken together, this data compiled and grouped with other research techniques like qualitative questionnaires or interviews reveal how we feel, act and think.
When combining virtual reality and eye-tracking, respondents are transported to an immersive digital environment, increasing the fidelity of the experience as well as expanding the insights gained, something that can be done on the Varjo XR-3, VR-3 and Aero.
For example, if assessing behavioral data from a museum tour, remote eye-tracking cannot separate between the sights the user is reacting to. With virtual reality and eye-tracking, behavioral data is directly linked with what is shown within the headset, making it endlessly repeatable. In effect, bettering the already valuable effects of eye-tracking itself.
Virtual reality has seen a great surge in mental care. Essentially, therapists are utilizing VR for exposure therapy to improve the treatment of anxieties and phobias. Traditionally, therapists using exposure therapy had to physically expose clients to their fear, i.e., flying with them, if fear of flying or presenting a keynote if public speaking. With VR, psychiatrists can expose virtually the patient to their fear in a more controlled and guided manner while utilizing biometric data from eye-tracking, gaining insight into their client’s progression. Improving the effectiveness of their therapy.
The ability to track what’s behind users’ reactions and behaviors as they interact with objects, environments and any type of stimuli, enables commercial and academic researchers to gain real insights into human behavior and understand cognitive engagement in real-time.
Furthermore, eye tracking within virtual reality decreases bias, increasing validity and reliability. The reason is that remote eye trackers mean respondents are tied to a single laboratory setting. With VR eye-tracking, the environment can be controlled for the user, lessening bias.
The second reason is practical and is rooted in the limited movement space of the wearer in remote eye tracking compared to VR eye-tracking. Naturally, eye tracking is not lost when the respondent moves their head.
Finally, eye-tracking can assist in delivering more natural interactions within virtual reality. For example, the eye-tracking provider Tobii whose software can be found in the Pico Neo 3 Pro Eye, predicts what the wearer intends based on where they look. Tobii then adapts the system on this, enabling greater realism and immersion. This advanced feature has been found particularly useful in surgical procedures and intricate mechanical engineering.
Virtual reality is being changed and improved with the advent of eye-tracking. The range of benefits and use cases for enterprises is myriad and broad. It can help psychiatrists better treat their patients, researchers gain real insights into human behavior and precise VR interactions become more successful. Eye-tracking in virtual reality can unlock potentials for enterprises still underutilized, so hopefully, this article enticed the potential of where your business can take advantage of these transformative outcomes and insights.
