Affectiva Launches Calibration-Free Eye Tracking

US-based facial analysis tech firm Affectiva has launched a calibration-free eye tracking feature, slashing setup time for eye tracking work and enhancing user experience in MR, according to the firm.

Founded as a spin-off from the MIT Media Lab and owned since 2021 by Swedish technology firm Smart Eye, Affectiva helps clients to understand consumer engagement and emotion via facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice, using standard webcams. The firm claims its Emotion AI technology is 'trusted by 90% of the world's largest advertisers'.

Affectiva says traditional eye tracking solutions require time-consuming calibration exercises, adding 'minutes' to survey runtimes and disrupting the research process. The new system removes the need for this, combining tech from the parent and subsidiary companies and developing distinct world models, and promising accurate eye tracking through a standard webcam on a laptop or mobile phone screen, without special hardware or other sources of disruption for respondents. In addition to faster set up, it should mean more accurate tracking of eye movements over a longer period since it will not be affected by changes in the respondent's position.

The firm says it will further integrate eye tracking with Emotion AI, finding new ways to 'dig deeper into consumer responses and user experience'.

Former Millward Brown man Graham Page, announced as Global MD of Media Analytics for Affectiva five years ago today, comments: 'The primary objective behind introducing our calibration-free eye tracking feature is to minimize disruption to survey flow. Our goal is to deliver effective eye tracking without added exercises, ultimately generating new insights about viewer attention for our users'. He adds: 'Unlike other webcam-based methods, which can lose accuracy if a respondent repositions or leans in, our technology allows for these changes, which yields higher usable data rates than is typical for webcam eye tracking'.

Matt Strafuss, Director of Product and Customer Solutions at Affectiva, says take-up of the new feature may be gradual at first, but should be widespread once users fully grasp its potential.

Web site: www.affectiva.com .