An open-source low-cost eye-tracking system for portable real-time and offline tracking

Abstract

Open-source eye trackers have the potential to bring gaze-controlled applications to a wider audience or even the mass market due to their low cost, and their flexibility and tracking quality are continuously improving. We here present a new portable low-cost head-mounted eye-tracking system based on the open-source ITU Gaze Tracker software. The setup consists of a pair of self-built tracking glasses with attached cameras for eye and scene recording. The software was significantly extended and functionality was added for calibration in space, scene recording, synchronization for eye and scene videos, and offline tracking. Results of indoor and outdoor evaluations show that our system provides a useful tool for low-cost portable eye tracking; the software is publicly available.