Select this link to view a movie (driver's point of view) showing where the driver is fixating when exiting a car park, negotiating city streets, and freeway driving.
We have recently begun to extend our functional head-eye coordination studies from aerospace applications to driving an automobile. Our head-eye tracking system is smaller and lighter than existing commercial systems, and the advanced 3D video-based eye movement measurement provides increased accuracy.
Data obtained during driving in an urban environment revealed that while exiting an indoor car park the reverse lights of other parked cars were scanned at a rate of 10 per second (i.e., average fixation time per car of 100 ms). When cornering there was a tilt of the head into the turn of up to 10 degrees, and the eyes fixated on the apex of the turn. The vertical vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) was found to contribute to gaze maintenance even while driving upon paved roads. For example, when driving along W 96th St. on the upper west side of Manhattan there was a high-frequency pitch of the head of amplitude 6 degrees, and a compensatory vertical eye movement (i.e., of equal magnitude in the opposite direction, generated by the semi-circular canals) that acted to stabilize gaze. These results demonstrate that the VOR is continuously operational while driving, underpinning active visual scanning strategies. A recent survey (Cohen et al. 2003) revealed that vestibular patients had considerable difficulty driving in poor visibility and high-traffic conditions, likely due to insufficient image stabilization from a compromised VOR. Head movements made while changing lanes, parking and entering a freeway onramp generated vertigo (dizziness) and disturbed vision. Physicians have expressed concern over the impact of vestibular disease on driving safety, but to date there has been little research in this area. We aim to functionally assess driver performance using our portable laptop-based system for tracking head, eye and vehicle motion, focusing on those drivers with vestibular impairment.
To download a copy of our paper in Optometry & Vision Science describing the system click the link below.
The system installed in a car. The video image of the eye and scene can be seen on the laptop screen.
The VOG goggles are comfortable and significantly lighter than commercial headsets.
Passing an FDNY truck on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan.
Human Aerospace Laboratory
