Gazing Through The Internet

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to move about the internet using only your eyes? Well, researchers here at Rochester Institute of Technology have transformed that thought into a more plausible idea, which will one day allow people to do just that. Researchers will be showcasing their work today, during the Developing Adaptive Hypermedia exhibit, focusing on eye movements and semantic modeling.

Hypermedia is a research area at the crossroads of hypermedia and user modeling. Adaptive hypermedia systems offer an alternative to the traditional, "one-size-fits-all" hypermedia and web systems by adapting to the goals, interests, and knowledge of the individual user. Semantic modeling, in general, is the study of the meanings and messages behind the words, focusing on the user perspective.

Research in the area of human-computer interaction is concerned with creating computing solutions that are more natural and intuitive to users. This exhibit will provide visitors an opportunity to see research in the use of eye movements to understand and predict users’ web interaction behaviors as well as some hands-on exploration of the eye tracking system used by RIT researchers working in the area of human-computer interaction. Putting on the eye tracking headsets and seeing how your own eyes move when exposed to different stimuli will be an interesting look into your own biological mechanics.

Through the research being done at RIT, we can better understand where people look and what they see, which can help to design more effective user interfaces, and eventually allow people to interact with websites simply through eye gaze. The exhibit will be going on throughout the day in the Laboratory for Applied Computing, building 74, in room 1050.