ASL Integrates Eye Tracking With fMRI Scanning Technology And Provides Significant Value to Medical Researchers “ASL Announces That Sales Of The Eye-Trac 6 LRO Tripled In The Past Year”

October 05, 2007 (PRLEAP.COM) Health News
Bedford, Massachusetts, USA – Applied Science Laboratories (ASL) has again answered the call by finding new ways to incorporate an eye tracking system, namely the Eye-Trac 6 LRO with fMRI systems and has captured the attention of many researchers who are endeavoring to increase their understanding and improve the treatment of brain injuries and illnesses.

ASL plans to continue to forge new partnerships and maintain its leadership in developing and building systems that track, record and analyze human eye movements and pupil dynamics for eye-tracking applications that include medicine, cognitive psychology, training, simulation, biomechanics, human factors research, web design, usability and many more.

In making the announcement, Virginia Salem, Vice President of Sales, of ASL said, “The true challenge faced by our professional team is to make the theoretical come to life by brainstorming the problem across our entire organization and designing a practical, user-friendly eye tracking solution”.

The integration of the Eye-Trac 6 LRO with fMRI equipment was not without several obstacles as it gained widespread acceptance as a viable enhancement. The potential for interference in the fMRI data or images by the Eyetracker as well as how best to physically mount the two systems together were the first of many tests that team ASL faced. The utilization of magnets ranging from 1.5T to 4T to allow the optics to track distances of up to 16 feet coupled with placing the optics outside the magnet room minimized the interference risk. While Team ASL are not MR experts, the approach of working in partnership with their clients was the key to meeting the specific technical challenges that the Eye-Trac 6 LRO was required to overcome which included, but were not limited to:
· Working in conjunction with any stimulus display
· Measuring real time pupil size
· Record data and analyze it offline
· Adjustable between 50/60Hz, 120Hz and 240Hz
· Measuring Saccades
· Distinct and easy to identify pupil illumination (bright pupil technique) for all subjects including those wearing glasses or contact lenses

Applied Science Laboratories has been a pioneer in the examination of human eye movements and pupil dynamics for over 30 years. ASL was the first company to develop a head-mounted eye tracker, eye/head integration, parallax-free optics, and many other features that have become industry standard. For more information, visit www.a-s-l.com or contact the company at 175 Middlesex Turnpike, Bedford, Massachusetts, 01730 USA, Tel. (781) 275-4000.