Cool video, eye tracking a F1 driver at speed

[masraum]

I thought this was pretty cool, they outfitted Nico Hulkenberg with eye tracking sensors and a camera that overlays a dot on top of a video image of what he sees while he's driving a hot lap.

[astrochex]

IR sensors to track eye movement, fascinating. The eyeball must have a temperature gradient that is measured and processed.

Imagine if every F1 driver had this in a race. The start would be fascinating.

[cairns]

Amazing vid thank you.

Reminds me of an episode with H. Haywood years ago. Wife and I were attending a Porsche driving school and Hurley was our instructor (along with Doc Bundy but that's another story).

At the end of the slalom I had turned and was heading back and he said to me on the radio "get your eyes up". When I got out I asked him how he knew I was looking too far down and he said "I looked at the nose of the car." Then he said to both my wife and I- "you drive in heavy traffic, don't you?" looking at me and then to the wife "you don't".

He nailed it. I learned a lot from him and never forgot the adage "look where you want the car to go". I taught that and a few other tricks I learned that day to every student I ever had.

[jyl]

He looks where you'd expect him to look. Interesting technology but result seems predictable.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by jyl

He looks where you'd expect him to look. Interesting technology but result seems predictable.

yeah but he's processing what he sees very much fast.

[ted]

Originally Posted by jyl

He looks where you'd expect him to look. Interesting technology but result seems predictable.

True but if you were instructing a new driver in a car at an AX you'll find a new driver has to be trained where to look and when.
Not knowing where to look or looking in the wrong direction is a big issue.

My most uncomfortable eye control error was at Fontana on the Roval.
At 135mph in a big Nascar banked turn I suddenly found I was looking basically at the track right in front of my front bumper.
I had got behind on my eye control.
(I like how Hurley knew the guy that drove in traffic had trained his eyes to look right in front of his bumper most the time)

Lifting my eyes to the proper place which was 50 yards in front of the car was difficult.
You cant just blink and look 50 yards ahead.

[HardDrive]

Would love to see the same experiment in traffic.

[ted]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Would love to see the same experiment in traffic.

I was thinking how lame it would be to see eye control for the average freeway driver.
Looking forward 60% of the time.
Never checking mirrors or turning to look sideways.
Talking on the phone and reading billboards....
Looking at the radio, gps or cell if not looking forward.

[Brando]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Would love to see the same experiment in traffic.

As would I. Normal driver, professional driver, race car driver, motorcycle rider. I bet the "normal driver" would have most of their time focused on their cell phone.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Would love to see the same experiment in traffic.

When I ride with some one else, I often just have to close my eyes, otherwise I'm mentally screaming at them to lift off when I see a speed differential a few cars in front. Most never do until they actually have to hit the brakes.

It also never ceases to amaze me, how when I find a gap to move left to pass a slow car, the SUV behind speeds up as if to get past me, only to hit the brakes when they encounter the slow car I just moved around. Sigh...

[ted]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

When I ride with some one else, I often just have to close my eyes, otherwise I'm mentally screaming at them to lift off when I see a speed differential a few cars in front. Most never do until they actually have to hit the brakes.

true an example of someone not looking in the right place.
Others on the freeway feel when they turn on the blinker (good) to change lanes they also have to touch the brake pedal at the same time?
Is it because they don't know or haven't looked to see whats ahead in the lane they are switching too?

It says to me I'm moving out of your lane but before I do I want to brake check you.

[pwd72s]

That technology would be interesting it lots of sports and games...what does a champion pool player focus on when making the break and other shots? Golf? Tennis? You name it.

[jyl]

In many sports, the answer is going to be predictable. A good tennis player will focus on the ball when it is coming toward him, and on the opponent when the ball is going away from him. A slalom skier will focus on the next gate. To take it to a ridiculous extreme, do we need eye tracking tech to figure out what an Olympic shooter is focused on?

In other sports, the answer is probably not important. Does it really matter what a marathon runner is looking at, and is he really looking or do his eyeballs simply happen to be pointed in that direction?

Other sports, mostly team sports, are not as simple, and that's where this technology would be cool. In football, what is the quarterback's progression of reads?. When the point guard brings the ball up the court, what is he focused on? Soccer, volleyball, etc.

In some cases, the players eyes probably flick around so quickly, and he relies so much on peripheral vision and spatial awareness, that it might be hard to follow the dot. For example, Magic throwing a no-look pass.