Tracking eye fixations with electroocular and electroencephalographic recordings

Abstract

We describe a method, based on recordings of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye movement potentials (electrooculogram), to track where on a screen (x, y coordinates) an individual is fixating. The method makes use of an empirically derived beam-forming filter (derived from a sequence of calibrated eye movements) to isolate eye motion from other electrophysiological and ambient electrical signals. Electrophysiological researchers may find this method a simple and inexpensive means of tracking eye movements and a useful complement to scalp recordings in studies of cognitive phenomena. The resolution is comparable to that of many commercial systems; the method can be implemented with as few as four electrodes around the eyes to complement the EEG electrodes already in use. This method may also find some specialized applications such as studying eye movements during sleep and in human–machine interfaces that make use of gaze information.