Building a Low-Cost Device to Track Eye Movement Ritchie Argue

Widespread adoption of digital eye-tracking systems requires a substantial drop in prices from current levels. In this paper, we examine the feasibility of creating a low-cost device to track the eye position of a computer user. The device operates in real-time using prototype Jitter software at over 9 frames per second on an Apple PowerBook laptop. The response of the system is sufficient to show a low-resolution cursor on a computer screen corresponding to user’s eye position, and is accurate to within 1 degree of error. The hardware components of the system can be assembled from readily available consumer electronics and off-the-shelf parts for under $30 with an existing personal computer.