Cedrus, Tobii to introduce StimTracker

Tobii TechnologyJun 15 2012

Tobii Technology, the global leader in eye-tracking and interactive gaze technology, announced today that it has partnered with Cedrus, the leading provider of stimuli and response hardware for psychological studies, to introduce the StimTracker for Tobii TX300 Eye Tracker. The StimTracker is an extremely precise synchronization and timing solution that enhances the accuracy of data collection and insights for scientific research in studies involving EEG or other biometric data.    

"This is a huge development for the psychophysiological research community as we are now able to provide the most precise correlation between screen stimuli, subject gaze patterns and internal biometric reactions," said Tom Englund, president of Tobii Analysis. "With this solution, researchers will also gain greater insight into studies that require high temporal resolution, such as reaction time tests and subliminal single-frame stimuli tests, as well as the ability to more accurately formulate their conclusions."

StimTracker, when used with the Tobii TX300 Eye Tracker and Tobii Studio, provides researchers with a reliable and accurate solution to obtain deeper and more comprehensive data on subjects' reactions to visual stimuli. The system works by synchronizing screen stimuli, eye-tracking data and physiological data with true real-time temporal precision. Combining EEG data with eye tracking, researchers are able to limit uncertainty related to the quality of the EEG data.

The solution will be supported by the upcoming Tobii Studio 3.1 release, which includes new light-sensor trigger and external event registration features. Tobii Studio 3.1 will be available for download by the end of this month.

Synchronization Versatility

The high timing accuracy of StimTracker for Tobii TX300 Eye Tracker enables researchers to know exactly where a research subject is looking when certain effects in the human body occur. Ready to connect to a range of EEG and biometric data collection systems, as well as a PC parallel port, StimTracker allows for synchronization of screen stimuli and eye-tracking data with a broad spectrum of data types, such as EEG, heart rate, motion detection, NIRS, respiration rate, skin conductance, light and sound.

Fast, Robust and Reliable Solution

Using an analog light sensor, StimTracker for Tobii TX300 Eye Tracker provides a fast, robust and reliable solution. This eliminates timing errors that might appear due to delays in operating systems, graphics cards or flexible pixel refresh algorithms.

How Does It Work?

When a new stimulus is shown, the Cedrus Lightsensor detects a change and generates a TTL binary voltage signal (0 and 5 V). The signal is transmitted via the StimTracker for TX300 Eye Tracker unit to the eye tracker and the EEG/biometrics data collection system. The eye tracker receives the signal, creates an event and packages this event with the next gaze data package. The StimTracker event will be time-stamped with the same time value as the gaze point. The eye tracker sends the data to Tobii Studio, and the StimTracker data (EventMarker) is integrated in the eye-tracking recording. The events can then be used to synchronize the eye-tracking data with the data coming from the biometrics data collection system.

"From conversations with our customers in psychophysiological research, it was becoming increasingly clear that they wanted a solution that allows them to send simultaneous event markers to EEG and eye trackers," said Hisham A. Abboud, president of Cedrus Corp. "Working closely with Tobii, the most respected name in eye-tracking research and analysis, has allowed us to address this need and bring this solution to market quickly. StimTracker will enhance the integrity of EEG and biometric data collected during an eye-tracking study and will help expand the knowledge surrounding the implications of brain activity and reaction times."