Project description
Eye-tracking for reliable cognitive measurement
Accurate measurement of cognitive processes through eye-tracking is hindered by technological limitations, particularly in reliably capturing pupil size changes driven by cognition. Existing commercial eye-trackers often suffer from data loss and unreliable readings, especially in dynamic or challenging environments. This issue is especially pronounced when working with certain populations, such as infants, where traditional systems struggle to maintain accuracy. With this in mind, the ERC-funded PUPILLO project aims to introduce an innovative eye-tracking system that combines advanced hardware and software solutions. Features include offline data retrieval, robotic tracking, and autofocus, ensuring more reliable measurements even with greater participant movement. Pilot studies have shown dramatic improvements, offering a flexible, cost-effective, and precise tool for the research and medical communities.
Objective
Eye-tracking is one of the most valuable tools for measuring human behaviour, applicable to multiple populations and stages of development, and their use has enjoyed an exponential increase both within and outside of research. Pupil size, measurable with eye-trackers, provides a valuable index of a wide range of cognitive functions. However, pupillometry has significant untapped potential because current commercial eye-trackers are unable to provide reliable indications of cognitively driven pupil changes. This results in a restricted design space for research, large loss of data and often unreliable measurement.
We propose a novel architecture of remote eye-tracker for behavioural research, conceived to address both the problem of large data loss, and the problem of reliability of pupil size changes. Our solution addresses these pains at both the hardware and software levels, with a series of innovations including an identical offline mode to retrieve otherwise lost data, and autofocus and robotic tracking to accommodate much greater participant movement. In pilot experiments, with infants, we have increased the proportion of usable data from about 50% with the current state of the art, to close to 100%. We are currently developing procedures and algorithms to compensate for the light reflex so that pupil dynamics data is deconfounded, and acquisition possible over a much larger span of stimuli and situations. PUPILLO aims to become the next generation eye-tracker, providing the research and medical communities and beyond, with a cost-effective, easy-to-use and customizable solution to fully exploit the potential of gaze tracking and pupillometry.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
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