Evaluation of Gaze Input in 3D Space for a Person with Multiple Physical Disabilities Using a Robot and Drones

We are conducting research on operating a motorized wheelchair using gaze input to help a person with multiple physical disabilities, who cannot move their hands and feet, and whose speech is unclear, to move at their own will. To operate a motorized wheelchair by gaze input and to move around in a real environment, the ability to move and stop the eye and spatial awareness is critical. In this study, we report the results of an evaluation of gaze input on a monitor using a small mobile robot and a drone. We proposed a score of gaze input calculated from the tracking time and the distance between the tracking target and gazing point and used the proposed score to evaluate the ability for gaze input. Evaluation experiments were conducted continuously over a long period of time, eight months for the experiments using the robot and five months for the experiments using the drone. From the experimental results, we confirmed that the score of gaze input improved with continuous training and evaluation of gaze input. We compared the results between subjects with multiple physical disabilities and able-bodied subjects and found significant differences. In addition, subjects with multiple physical disabilities had difficulty maintaining their posture and their head movement was a factor in the lower scores.