Spatial Computing System for Human Attention

ET3Space is not just an eye tracking add-on, it is a spatial computing platform for decoding human attention in real-world 3D environments. ET3Space converts traditional eye tracking into a true spatial computing signal, allowing you to measure, analyze, and model human attention directly within physical environments.

By combining gaze tracking with 6DoF head position data from an integrated motion capture device, ET3Space determines not just where someone looks, but what object they are attending to in the real-world, and how that attention evolves over time.

This allows researchers and engineers to move beyond 2D gaze analysis and into true spatial perception analytics.

Core Spatial Computing Architecture

ET3Space operates as a real-time human-in-the-loop spatial computing system:

Eye Tracking Layer: Captures gaze direction relative to the head.

Head Tracking Layer (Motion Capture): Provides head position and orientation within a global coordinate system.

Spatial Mapping Engine: Computes the line-of-sight vector and determines its intersection with real-world surfaces.

Environment Model (Digital Twin): Represents up to 20 defined surfaces or objects within a structured 3D coordinate space.

Human Attention Model: Tracks human attention on surfaces of interest and displays real-time changes with bar plots.

Global Monitor: Displays point of gaze inside surfaces or objects on the image from a Stationary Scene Camera positioned in the environment.

Live Human Attention

ET3Space tracks human attention in real-world environment, decodes attention patterns on surfaces of interest, and display results with real-time bar plots:

Total Time

Number of Fixations

Average Fixation Duration

Total Fixation Time

Time to First Fixation

Average Left Pupil Diameter

Average Right Pupil Diameter

Real-Time Spatial Analytics

ET3Space provides a continuous stream of spatial data:

3D gaze vector

Head position and orientation (6DoF)

Eye position and vergence

Surface identification and intersection coordinates

Attention bar plots

Pupil diameter and physiological signals

Time-synchronized data streams

Digital Twin

ET3Space creates a lightweight digital twin of both:

Environment (surfaces, displays, controls)

User attention (gaze behavior mapped into space)

This enables:

Persistent attention mapping across space

Replay and analysis of human behavior in context

Integration with simulation and AI systems

Bridging Physical and Virtual Worlds

ET3Space aligns naturally with spatial computing ecosystems:

Enables attention-aware interfaces

Supports human-centered digital twins

Integrates with simulation environments (flight, driving, control rooms)

Provides ground truth for AI perception models

Multi-Surface and Multi-Object Awareness

ET3Space supports simultaneous tracking across multiple spatial targets:

Instrument panels

Monitors and displays

Physical controls and keyboards

Walls, floors, and environmental structures

Via scene imagery and spatial computing, surfaces are defined quickly with a couple of mouse clicks on scene image, enabling rapid deployment in complex environments.

Interoperability with Head Tracking Systems

Argus Science eye trackers are compatible with a variety of motion capture devices that can be used as the ET3Space head tracking component. We support systems from many leading companies, such as NDI, Advanced Realtime Tracking (ART), Vicon, Qualisys, and others. From the list of supported devices, and with individual help from engineers at Argus Science, the user is free to choose the motion capture technology that best meets the needs of a particular environment and application.

For use with optical motion capture devices, an array of reflectors are mounted to the ETVision optics frames, and the motion capture device measures the position and orientation of the reflector array.

Key Features

Real-time 3D gaze localization

Spatial attention tracking

Multi-object intersection detection

Network streaming / digital data file recording

Global monitoring (Stationary Scene Camera)

Compatibility with motion capture systems

Seamless workflow with analysis software (ETAnalysis)