Formula 1 driver testing eye-tracking technology
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While learning to drive a vehicle, everyone figures out the same basics: follow the laws, know where to look, don’t get distracted, etc. Even though it all becomes a habit over time, there are still things you don’t want to rush through for the sake of your safety and the safety of others.
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Now imagine you’re a Formula 1 (F1) driver. How much faster do you think you would need to look at and react to your surroundings while operating a vehicle?
Before you start doing the math, Sky Sports teamed up with Tobii, a Swedish company that develops products for eye control and eye tracking, to figure out the answer to that exact question.
Below is the video of F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg and his Force India racing team as they analyze his eye movements through a pair of smart goggles while he drives through a racing circuit.
The goggles include five small, infrared cameras that are able to detect and track his eye movements. It is amazing to see how quick the driver can glance at something and still be able to retain the information.
[youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjkUUMZnTnU]
When asked what exactly it is you did that caused success or a defeat, it’s difficult to recall after the fact. This technology will hopefully be able to help drivers and their teams understand their own processes as they race and show what it is they did that caused their outcome.
