VR, eye tracking and biometrics come together as Tobii Pro extends software capabilities

Tobii Pro, the global leader in eye tracking research solutions, continues to expand its VR offering by announcing Tobii Pro Lab VR 360. This new edition of Tobii Pro Lab, the company’s flagship analysis software, enables cognitive researchers, psychologists and marketing researchers to utilize 360-degree videos and images when conducting eye tracking studies in VR.

The analysis software Tobii Pro Lab supports the entire workflow for designing, recording and analyzing eye tracking data collected from any of Tobii Pro’s screen-based and wearable eye trackers. This latest edition includes compatibility with data collection from 360 content displayed in the HTC Vive headset which has been retrofitted with Tobii eye tracking.

Researchers can place people in immersive scenarios and study behavior in situations that would otherwise be too dangerous or difficult to replicate or repeat in real-life. Utilizing 360 content facilitates repeatability, creates a sense of presence for participants and delivers more realistic environments than those presented on a flat screen. Scenarios can be easily captured from any real-world situation using a 360-degree camera and then imported into the software to be used as stimuli.

“VR with eye tracking has given science a whole new dimension and we are determined to provide researchers with world leading VR research tools which help them in their quest for breakthroughs in science and treatment” said Tom Englund, President of Tobii Pro.

Tobii Pro Lab VR 360 can also be combined with data streams from GSR (galvanic skin response) to better understand the link between people’s visual attention and what causes a person to feel stress, excitement or fear. A GSR device, consisting of a wristband and electrodes, is placed on a person’s fingers or palms to measure skin conductance while the video or images are being presented in the VR headset.

Tobii Pro now offers two analysis solutions for eye tracking studies covering both types of VR content; this new edition of Tobii Pro Lab enables eye tracking analysis from VR 360 content while Tobii Pro VR Analytics, launched earlier this year, allows for eye tracking data to be collected from participants interacting within a 3D environment.

Examples of research applications:

• In studies of PTSD or of phobias such as social anxiety or fear of flying. Using Tobii Pro Lab VR 360, situations can be recreated in a controlled environment that is safe for the user to experience. Measuring visual attention and GSR in these simulations can reveal exactly what triggers a reaction.
• Marketing researchers can immerse participants in realistic scenarios while maintaining full control of the context, making Tobii Pro Lab VR 360 an effective tool for understanding emotional and visual responses to advertising messages.

More information and media assets:

• Watch a video about Tobii Pro Lab VR 360 Edition
• Visit the news room of Tobii Pro for images

Contact:

Cecilia Lago Albright, PR & Communications Manager, Tobii Pro, Phone: +46 707 43 13 45,
email: cecilia.albright@tobii.com

Anthony Suarez, PR Managing Supervisor, Axicom U.S. , Phone: +1 212-210-5892,
email: anthony.suarez@axicom.com