Les dispositifs d'eye-tracking ont un très fort potentiel en tant que modalité d'entrée en IHM (Interaction Homme Machine), en particulier en situation de mobilité. Dans cette thèse, nous nous concentrons sur la mise en œuvre de cette potentialité en mettant en évidence les scénarios dans lesquels l’eye-tracking possède des avantages évidents par rapport à toutes les autres modalités d’interaction. Au cours de nos recherches, nous avons constaté que cette technologie ne dispose pas de méthodes pratiques pour le déclenchement de commandes, ce qui réduit l'usage de tels dispositifs. Dans ce contexte, nous étudions la combinaison d'un eye-tracking et des mouvements volontaires de la tête lorsque le regard est fixe, ce qui permet de déclencher des commandes diverses sans utiliser les mains ni changer la direction du regard. Nous avons ainsi proposé un nouvel algorithme pour la détection des mouvements volontaires de la tête à regard fixe en utilisant uniquement les images capturées par la caméra de scène qui équipe les eye-trackers portés sur la tête, afin de réduire le temps de calcul. Afin de tester la performance de notre algorithme de détection des mouvements de la tête à regard fixe, et l'acceptation par l'utilisateur du déclenchement des commandes par ces mouvements lorsque ses deux mains sont occupées par une autre activité, nous avons effectué des expériences systématiques grâce à l'application EyeMusic que nous avons conçue et développée. Cette application EyeMusic est un système pour l'apprentissage de la musique capable de jouer les notes d’une mesure d'une partition que l’utilisateur ne comprend pas. En effectuant un mouvement volontaire de la tête qui fixe de son regard une mesure particulière d'une partition, l'utilisateur obtient un retour audio. La conception, le développement et les tests d’utilisabilité du premier prototype de cette application sont présentés dans cette thèse. L'utilisabilité de notre application EyeMusic est confirmée par les résultats expérimentaux : 85% des participants ont été en mesure d’utiliser tous les mouvements volontaires de la tête à regard fixe que nous avons implémentés dans le prototype. Le taux de réussite moyen de cette application est de 70%, ce qui est partiellement influencé par la performance intrinsèque de l'eye-tracker que nous utilisons. La performance de notre algorithme de détection des mouvements de la tête à regard fixe est 85%, et il n’y a pas de différence significative entre la performance de chaque mouvement de la tête testé. Également, nous avons exploré deux scénarios d'applications qui reposent sur les mêmes principes de commande, EyeRecipe et EyePay, dont les détails sont également présentés dans cette thèse. / Eye-tracking has a very strong potential in human computer interaction (HCI) as an input modality, particularly in mobile situations. In this thesis, we concentrate in demonstrating this potential by highlighting the scenarios in which the eye-tracking possesses obvious advantages comparing with all the other interaction modalities. During our research, we find that this technology lacks convenient action triggering methods, which can scale down the performance of interacting by gaze. In this instance, we investigate the combination of eye-tracking and fixed-gaze head movement, which allows us to trigger various commands without using our hands or changing gaze direction. We have proposed a new algorithm for fixed-gaze head movement detection using only scene images captured by the scene camera equipped in front of the head-mounted eye-tracker, for the purpose of saving computation time. To test the performance of our fixed-gaze head movement detection algorithm and the acceptance of triggering commands by these movements when the user's hands are occupied by another task, we have implemented some tests in the EyeMusic application that we have designed and developed. The EyeMusic system is a music reading system, which can play the notes of a measure in a music score that the user does not understand. By making a voluntary head movement when fixing his/her gaze on the same point of a music score, the user can obtain the desired audio feedback. The design, development and usability testing of the first prototype for this application are presented in this thesis. The usability of our EyeMusic application is confirmed by the experimental results, as 85% of participants were able to use all the head movements we implemented in the prototype. The average success rate of this application is 70%, which is partly influenced by the performance of the eye-tracker we use. The performance of our fixed-gaze head movement detection algorithm is 85%, and there were no significant differences between the performance of each head movement. Apart from the EyeMusic application, we have explored two other scenarios that are based on the same control principles: EyeRecipe and EyePay, the details of these two applications are also presented in this thesis.

The use of eye movements to interact with computers offers opportunities for people with impaired motor ability to overcome the difficulties they often face using hand-held input devices. Computer games have become a major form of entertainment, and also provide opportunities for social interaction in multi-player environments. Games are also being used increasingly in education to motivate and engage young people. It is important that young people with motor impairments are able to benefit from, and enjoy, them. This thesis describes a program of research conducted over a 20-year period starting in the early 1990's that has investigated interaction techniques based on gaze position intended for use by people with motor impairments. The work investigates how to make standard software applications accessible by gaze, so that no particular modification to the application is needed. The work divides into 3 phases. In the first phase, ways of using gaze to interact with the graphical user interfaces of office applications were investigated, designed around the limitations of gaze interaction. Of these, overcoming the inherent inaccuracies of pointing by gaze at on-screen targets was particularly important. In the second phase, the focus shifted from office applications towards immersive games and on-line virtual worlds. Different means of using gaze position and patterns of eye movements, or gaze gestures, to issue commands were studied. Most of the testing and evaluation studies in this, like the first, used participants without motor-impairments. The third phase of the work then studied the applicability of the research findings thus far to groups of people with motor impairments, and in particular,the means of adapting the interaction techniques to individual abilities. In summary, the research has shown that collections of specialised gaze-based interaction techniques can be built as an effective means of completing the tasks in specific types of games and how these can be adapted to the differing abilities of individuals with motor impairments.

Motor and communication disabilities are common conditions that may implicate restrictions in daily life. With development of eye tracking technology, a solution referred to as eye-gaze interaction has been generated to support people with their limiting conditions to solve communication and computer access issues. By using eye tracking technology, which calculates the user’s eye-gaze location on a computer screen, user’s are able to control computers with their eyes as an input. This interaction method is quite unique and complex since the eyes serves both as an input and output source. Usability aspects revolving human information processing are therefore important to consider when designing user interfaces. In collaboration with Tobii AB, the study evaluated two separate eye-gaze interaction systems for controlling computers. 7 participants conducted user tests, one for each application, and answered interview questions during the tests regarding their usability experience. Based on the collected data,17 design guidelines was established with a purpose to enhance usability for eye-gaze interaction systems.

In this master thesis project carried out on Scania’s interaction design department in Södertälje an evaluation of the technology gaze interaction has been done. The aim was to see if the technology was suitable for implementation in a truck environment and what potential it had. The work started by doing a context analysis to get a deeper knowledge of the research done on within the area related to the subject. Following the context analysis a comprehensive need finding process was done. In this process, data from interviews, observations, ride along with truck drivers, benchmarking and more was analysed. The analysis of this was used to identify the user needs. Based on the user needs the concept development phase was conducted. The whole development phase was done in different stages and started off by an idea generation process. The work flow was made in small iterations with the idea to continuously improve the concepts. All concepts were evaluated in a concept scoring chart to see which of the concepts that best fulfilled the concept specifications. The concepts that best could highlight the techniques strengths and weaknesses were chosen and these are Head Up Display Interaction and Gaze Support System.. These concepts focused on the interaction part of the technique rather than a specific function. Test of the two concepts were conducted in a simulator to get data and see how they performed compared to today´s Scania trucks. The result overall was good and the test subjects were impressed with the systems. However there was no significance in most of the cases of driving except for some conditions where the concepts prove to be better than the systems used today. Gaze interaction is a technology that is suitable for a truck driving environment given that a few slight improvements are made. Implementation of the concepts have a good potential of reducing road accidents caused by human errors.