Project Eyedle Gaze: gentle eye-based navigation of virtual environments for relaxation and recreation Program DUIRI - Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship Term Fall 2023 Status Accepted Research Area User Experience Design, Assistive Technology, Serious Games, Health Games Description Eye tracking hardware for paraplegic users is predominantly focused on therapeutic activities related to training more efficient eye-gaze targeting to improve communication productivity. There is sometimes a barrier to tech adoption for people who could benefit from gaze-based interfaces due to the clinical nature of these interfaces. Our lab is designing a "passive" or "relaxation"-focused approach to gaze-based interfaces that promotes engagement through gentle, low-cognitive demand navigation of a graphically-rich environment. Such experiences may improve user attitudes toward gaze-based controls and lead to long-term comfort with and adoption of gaze-based communication tools. Such relaxing experiences may also benefit other user groups. Our lab has a gaze-controlled prototype which requires refinement and development for deploying in a user study. Supervisor Rua Mae Williams Mentor Michelle Marian Garrison Type of work required The DUIRI student will:
* improve interaction reliability of existing gaze-based 3D navigation system.
* implement graphical user interface for customization of interaction mechanics that can be understood by users and support persons, and controlled directly via the gaze controller or with keyboard and mouse
* implement a back-end data writing script that will report user interactions in csv format
* implement the final system in a pre-established nature-based virtual environment
* investigate and decide upon the best low-footprint deployment method such that the experience can be distributed to study participants
* participate in IRB protocol design from an IT and tech support role Websites Qualifications Any student who is interested in interaction design and disability is eligible to apply. We are looking for a student with prior experience in programing for interaction, particularly prior experience with coding for the Unity Game Engine. However, the PI is experienced in this and is experienced in teaching this. So we are flexible. We already have a detailed onboarding documentation for downloading the source code, connecting to the repository, and collaborating with other lab members on the project. Credit Hours 3 Weekly Hours 10 (estimated)