Innovative portable human / computer interface system for performance monitoring / prediction and eye movement robotic control

The primary objective of this research is to develop an innovative portable human / computer interface system for performance monitoring / performance prediction based on eye movement. The system will be capable of capturing gaze, pupil, and saccadic movements in each eye individually, simultaneously, at a high frequency, using several fiber optic and holographic technologies. A second primary objective is to detect point of fixation of eyes. The eyes provide both a means by which the soldier may be monitored, and a mechanism by which the soldier may potentially exert control over aspects of his/her environment. Impairments in pupils and eye movements are seen with fatigue and sleepiness, medication use, toxin exposures and have been shown to precede performance failures. The proposed work will build upon significant research done in the past, by University of Colorado in the area of the development of an analogous universal packaging platform for optical integrated circuits (OICs). The proposed research, applied to a broad range of optical systems, could revolutionize the applicability, complexity, size, cost and reliability of optical systems. The end product of this research for A04-191 will be an input / output system that employs infrared probes that are embedded within the prescription (or non-prescription) polymer lenses of user eyeglasses, connected via a small multi-fiber cable thus requiring no external or head mounted devices