In the cockpit of an A320 flight simulator, an eye-tracking system consisting of cameras and infrared sensors keeps constant track of where the pilot is looking. Source: David Rudi/ETH ZurichA research team led by ETH Zurich has created software that tracks the eyes of a student pilot as a component of pilot training.

According to its developers, the Instructor Assistant System (otherwise known as iAssyst), tracks a student pilot's gaze as he or she scans the cockpit and its various instruments during critical points of simulated flight. As the student trains in the cockpit of an A320 flight simulator, his or her gaze patterns are on display for the pilots conducting the training to assess for accuracy and precision

Infrared sensors and cameras built into the flight simulator capture the gaze of the student pilots as they scan the cockpit instruments while pilots conducting the training assess whether or not the student is looking at the appropriate instruments at the appropriate times, thereby potentially avoiding fatal mistakes.

Typically, student pilot gaze is difficult for actual pilots to assess. During training, they are often behind the cockpit, responsible for operating the simulator and in a location where visibility of the student pilot is limited. Yet, according to researchers, this component of the training is critical as pilots are responsible for processing vast amounts of acoustic, visual and spatial data while simultaneously monitoring the various cockpit instruments.

In addition to potentially improving the monitoring of student pilots and reducing pilot error, the team believes that the technology could one day be used to improve safety measures in the actual cockpit of an actual plane. They also believe that the software could find application in the healthcare industry, offering a method for training future surgeons in simulated surgeries.

Similar eye tracking software has cropped up in a variety of transportation-related industries recently. For instance, a Purdue University industrial engineering graduate has developed technology for determining when a driver is drowsy.

The research appears in the journal Ergonomics.