title: The design of a saccade-size predictor for eye communication.
abstract: A method for predicting the end position of a saccade, based on the peak velocity/amplitude relationship, was studied for application in eye communication. An analogue delay line of the bucket brigade type was implemented for measuring the saccadic velocity on-line. The magnitude of the differentiated saccade-signal had been subdivided in discrete values, corresponding to the distances between the neighbouring LEDs at the characters in a row of the communication board. An up-down counter started one by one the successive switching-on of the LEDs at each step in the saccadic velocity staircase. A single emitting LED corresponded finally to a predicted eye position. The signal-to-noise ratio of the detecting transistors of the infrared limbus-reflection method determined the confidence limits in prediction of the saccadic sizes. Predictions turned out to be reliable over 6 characters at 3 degrees equidistant locations in a horizontal row. It is concluded in a discussion that the feasibility of a two-dimensional fast eye keyboard system can be studied by one saccade-size predictor in combination with the magnetic field scleral search coil technique.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Applied Physics, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: ten Kate
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van Nifterick
mesh_terms: D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D004582:Electronics, Medical; D004585:Electrooculography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005133:Eye Movements; D006801:Humans; D012438:Saccades