Applied Science Laboratories “Mobile Eye” Used in Critical
Sport Reaction Time Training for Baja 500
With his Trophy Truck ready for the race, Daredevil Jesse James employed eye tracking to fine tune himself
Bedford, Massachusetts – July 29, 2009 – Applied Science Laboratories (ASL), an innovator in eye tracking development, has successfully taken its eye tracking technology out of the laboratory and into the real world of sports. Using the ASL Mobile Eye, a tether less eye tracking device with audio capability to record, American TV personality and daredevil Jesse James was able to gauge his reaction time to obstacles during his treacherous Baja 500 training.
Preparing for an arduous and unruly off road-race like the Baja 500 required more than extreme physical training and equipment testing. And what could be better than recorded reactions to obstacles in your path and reduced response time. Hoping to gain a “leg-up” on the competition, Base Productions invited Bob Wilson, ASL product engineer, to assist James in exploiting the ASL Mobile Eye to assess and fine tune himself.
“To be able to collect your eye movements and point of gaze information during a daunting experience of high-speed training and then study the results are phenomenal, and the ASL Mobile Eye made it possible,” said John Brenkus, Executive Producer, Base Productions. “By examining James’ scan path, ASL was able to increase his precision and provide him with a competitive edge for the upcoming challenge, which for a risk-taker like Jesse could mean the difference between life and death.”
The ASL Mobile Eye is a wearable and portable device that combines highly accurate point of gaze with an audio capability to record what the respondents are saying as they view their environment. It collects eye movements and point of gaze information during the performance of natural tasks – allowing the use of unconstrained eye, head and hand movements under variable lighting conditions. The eye tracking optics are extremely lightweight and unobtrusive, and the recording device is small enough to be worn on a belt.
“The secret to anyone’s continued success is to understand what’s needed to get better, said Wilson. “With no cables or connections to deal with, the ASL Mobile Eye made it possible for Jesse James to wear the device in his own environment rather than in a lab, and truly measured his actual reactions to obstructions on a grueling course.”
Imagine the benefit to sports competitors. The ASL Mobile Eye enables coaches and others to now study the differences between novice and experienced talents. By learning the patterns or pattern recognitions on how things are seen and how scan paths change over time – athletes can only get better.
About ASL
Applied Science Laboratories (ASL) has been a pioneer in the examination of human eye movements and pupil dynamics for over 30 years. ASL 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. For more information, visit www.asleyetracking.com or contact the company at 175 Middlesex Turnpike, Bedford, Massachusetts, 01730 USA, Tel. (781) 000-0000.