1. Automotive industry, the clearest trend

The most direct application in the automotive industry is in driver monitoring systems (DMS), where eye-tracking technology is playing a key role. With the aim of creating safer, more advanced cars, the combination of facial recognition and eye tracking can provide information on the driver’s attention, alertness or concentration at the wheel, making it possible to create warnings and alerts while driving.

Moreover, eye tracking is proving to be especially beneficial in safety inspection and testing processes,as it provides information (e.g. using heat maps) on where the driver focuses his or her gaze. We are also seeing the implementation of mixed reality systems, which combine reality and virtual reality and use eye-tracking technology to identify causes of distraction or loss of attention while driving.

2. Neuromarketing, to know what consumers will want

In advertising and marketing, it is vital to understand consumers’ habits, preferences and decisions, and, above all, to be able to predict their behaviour. . These areas use neuromarketing techniques such as EEG, eye tracking, or implicit response tests.

With regard to eye-tracking technology, exhaustive ocular monitoring allows behavioural patterns to be identified during visits to the point of sale or at the moment of contact with the brand. The range of applications is therefore endless: from software/hardware usability, advertising and product testing in shops, analysis of conception of corporate image…There are many advantages, since it provides high-resolution information on temporary processes, is adaptable to multiple environments, and can be combined with other devices at a relatively affordable cost.

3.Robotics and Industry 4.0 improve planning and precision in secure environments

This is without doubt a professional activity that requires complex learning and extensive training in order to ensure correct performance. It is a sector in which technology is coming on leaps and bounds, opening up new options for application in the robotics industry, and, in particular, in collaborative man-robot robotics.

Examples could include applications in camera inspection tasks, using a gaze to direct the camera to the point where the inspection photo should be taken, and then winking to give the order to take the photo. Or the concept of “third arm”, which would allow people on the production floor who have to operate certain machinery or tools with both hands, to use their gaze to instruct a robot to carry out additional operations on the machinery or tools in question. Of course, it will also allow people with certain communication disabilities to work people with certain communication disabilities to work in a range of jobs at the production plant.

Implementation in this sector is particularly useful, as it can be used to evaluate the performance of an activity, provide specific training, or help ensure more effective transmission of knowledge. It can also be applied in measuring human factors and occupational safety.

“Eye tracking allows, for example, operators to control a certain process when their hands are busy, or to increase the precision of certain surgical processes. Thanks to the latest advances in AI and deep learning, our work is evolving towards integrating the gaze in applications as diverse as collaborative robotics, neuromarketing and the automotive industry, which are three sectors that will undoubtedly incorporate many new features thanks to eye tracking, one of the technologies of the future,” says Eduardo Jauregui, founder of Irisbond. “I firmly believe that the future lies in facilitating the way in which we humans relate to our environment. A gaze is undoubtedly one of the most natural means of communication. Moreover, it is totally inclusive and does not discriminate against groups that may have limited speech or mobility capabilities,” stresses Eduardo.