Applied Science Laboratory and S. Oliver Associates Celebrate 25-Year Relationship
ASL’s adaptable eye tracking systems make noteworthy impact in art world
Bedford, Massachusetts – October 14, 2009 – Applied Science Laboratories (ASL), an innovator in eye tracking development, today announced that it is celebrating 25 years of partnership with S. Oliver Associates, their UK distributor. Through this alliance, S. Oliver Associates has made a clear impact on ASL’s international presence by signing on new, innovative customers and aiding in the support of existing ones.
“Standing behind ASL and its products for all of these years has been extremely easy,” said Stephen Oliver, director of S. Oliver Associates. “Their commitment to developing the most flexible eye tracking systems that can be used for most any application is evident, not only when reviewing all the fascinating research projects into which we have sold the ASL products but when anticipating future ones as well. Looking back, who would have thought that eye tracking would have been so creatively used in the world of art,” added Oliver.
It is certainly obvious that the ASL systems have undeniably facilitated researchers and artists in their quests to verify their theories when it comes to eye movement and art, and the following items are a testament to S. Oliver Associates’ involvement in this area.
- The National Gallery in London and Applied Vision Research Centre (AVRC) joined forces during the Telling Time exhibit to reveal how individuals view paintings; not in a single glance but in a series of viewing steps. AVRC set up an interactive eye-movement exhibit to prove these findings. Using the ASL 5000 and a monitor, participants were shown images from the National Gallery collection and their scan paths were displayed live to over 5000 visitors. The National Gallery and AVRC gathered statistics and findings and envisioned that the work would result in publications and would form the basis for some students’ PhDs. For more information, http://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/applied-vision/projects/national_gallery/index.htm
- Dr. John Tchalenko of Camberwell College of the Arts also used eye tracking in a number of his research projects to confirm various theories. In one such analysis on Eye-Hand Strategies in Copying Complex Lines, Tchalenko teamed with R. Chris Miall. They used a head-mounted ASL 501 eye tracking system to study eye movements and eye-hand interactions with 10 beginner art students as they copied complex lines which represented outlines of caricature heads seen in profile. A full review of their results can be found at http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2652506&log$=activity
In another research report, A Painter's Eye Movements: A Study of Eye and Hand Movement during Portrait Drawing, Tchalenko and Miall also employed an ASL system when working with world-renowned professional portrait artist, Humphrey Ocean. This research measured the eye and hand movements of Ocean, chosen for his detailed and realistic portraits produced from life. Ocean’s eye fixations and eye-hand coordination pattern were studied, showing differences from that of novices. Tchalenko’s and Miall’s findings of this preliminary work is reviewed in the following: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/leonardo/v034/34.1miall.html
- Danish Artist Rune Peitersen extended his artistic arm into the world of research. When working on an art project called Saccadic Sightings, Peitersen decided to record the saccadic movements of the eye to get an impression of what input the eye receives and then to produce a visual representation which would ‘place the viewer behind the eyes of another person.’ Peitersen realized that a portable eye tracking device was needed to accomplish this feat. Collaborating with The Arts & Genomics Centre in Leiden and S. Oliver Associates, Rune was introduced to the ASL Mobile Eye. This totally tether less eye tracking device with two small cameras mounted on a pair of security glasses and a portable DV recorder allowed Peitersen to gather the information necessary to complete his study. He presented his findings at CHArt 2008. For additional information on this project, please visit http://www.runepeitersen.com/saccadic/Saccadic_Sightings_CHArt2008.pdf
Virginia Salem, customer relations for Applied Science Laboratories said, “It’s intriguing to reflect on the years that we have worked with S. Oliver Associates and astounding to see how many remarkable art applications used the ASL systems. We expect that this partnership will bring many more significant thought-provoking opportunities for years to come.”
For more information on ASL’s desktop/remote and mobile eye tracking systems and pricing, please contact:
781-275-4000 Ext 21.
About ASL
Applied Science Laboratories (ASL) has been a pioneer in the advancement of eye tracking technology and systems for over 47 years, and was the first company to develop a head-mounted eye tracker, eye/head integration, parallax-free optics and many other features that have become industry standard. ASL’s unique technology provides its systems with the versatility to be used with various PC technologies and with multiple devices – preserving researchers’ investments even if their research goals change. With the largest selection of desktop/remote and mobile eye tracking systems and data analysis tools, ASL products are used worldwide in such diverse fields as human factors and ergonomics, marketing research, psychology and cognition, and education and training. An unwavering pledge to ensuring data integrity coupled with caring, outstanding customer and technical support is the trademark of ASL’s industry leadership. For more information, visit www.asleyetracking.com or contact the company at 175 Middlesex Turnpike, Bedford, Massachusetts, 01730 USA, Telephone (781) 000-0000.