VSS 2017: Symposium Brings Together Leaders in Immersive Research

The evolution of the eye tracking virtual reality headset as a scientific tool has spawned a new wave of research that will be the focus of a symposium in Florida this week.

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/513028/HTC_Vive_Eyetracking.jpg )

The event, hosted by SensoMotoric Instruments, coincides with the annual meeting of the Vision Sciences Society at St Pete Beach. Attendees will hear from three speakers with different research experiences using eye tracking VR head mounted displays (HMDs).

Prof. Mary Hayhoe, Professor of Psychology, Center for Perceptual Systems, University of Texas Austin, is a long-term user of VR headsets with eye tracking. She specializes in eye movements and visual cognition and will speak about scene memory and the value of using virtual environments.

Prof. Gabriel Diaz from the Rochester Institute of Technology focuses on the visual guidance of action using VR headsets with eye tracking. He will talk about studying eye movements within the unrestrained viewing of an immersive environment.

From New York's SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Prof. Stephen Macknik will speak about his eye movement research in aviator simulation studies and how this research will evolve with the growth of VR headsets as research tools.

Symposium website: https://www.smivision.com/events/eventssmi-symposium-vss/

Prof. Hayhoe will be awarded the Davida Teller Award by the Vision Sciences Society at the Florida meeting. "What we're seeing with VR is the science emerging with the technology," she said ahead of the event. "VR headsets with eye tracking allow us to study what controls a variety of behaviors, such as attention and locomotion as we move around in realistic environments."

Full story: https://www.smivision.com/news/honored-vision-scientist-prof-mary-hayhoe-looks-future-vr-eye-tracking/

SensoMotoric Instruments is a pioneer in adapting virtual reality headsets for research by adding eye tracking. Headsets to have been modified in this way include the Oculus Rift DK2, the Samsung Gear VR and, most relevant for vision science, an Eye Tracking HTC Vive.

About SMI 

SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI) has been a world leader in eye tracking technology for 25 years, developing and marketing eye & gaze tracking systems for scientists and professionals, as well as OEM and medical solutions for a wide range of applications. Find out more at www.smivision.com. Follow @SMIeyetracking on Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter.

Media Contact
SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH (SMI)
Tim Stott
+49-(0)-162-271-61-66
tim.stott@smi.de