Pupil Labs Blog

In Western societies, many people are unfamiliar with insect-based foods and reject them, despite their promise as a sustainable alternative to conventional animal protein. This mobile eye-tracking study examined how people view and evaluate insect-based foods in a buffet setting. Thirty-seven participants (mean age = 26 years) freely viewed a buffet containing 12 items from four categories: insect-based snacks, novel non-insect snacks, familiar snacks, and non-food objects. Mobile eye-tracking measured total and mean fixation durations for each item. Participants also rated each food item on disgust and desire to eat. The findings show that insect-based and novel snacks were viewed significantly longer than familiar snacks and non-foods, indicating increased visual engagement rather than oculomotor avoidance. Mean fixation duration did not differ across categories. Insect-based snacks elicited significantly higher disgust and lower desire to eat than both novel and familiar snacks. In conclusion, despite high disgust and low desire to eat, insect-based snacks attracted more visual attention than familiar foods and non-foods. This suggests that food disgust is not associated with oculomotor avoidance which is commonly observed when disgust is elicited by non-food.

Coaches can train technique and fitness, but the visual strategies behind expert performance often remain invisible and hard to measure. With Neon wearable eye tracking, researchers captured how table tennis players allocate attention during real rallies, revealing clear differences in gaze control and predictive looking. Read the full digest to learn which visual behaviors separate experts from novices, and why they might be more trainable than expected.

It turns out that safe navigation isn’t just about instruments or automation. It’s about situational awareness. In our latest Research Digest, we showcase a study comparing expert navigators against trainies using Neon wearable eye tracking system by researchers from Novia University of Applied Sciences and the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute.

Urban planners have long relied on crash statistics to assess safety, but these reactive measures fail to capture the moment-to-moment stress that deters cyclists long before an accident occurs. By combining physiological sensors with Neon eye tracking, researchers have developed a novel framework that correlates gaze behavior, such as blink rate spikes, with environmental triggers to create dynamic "stress maps" of the city. Read the full digest to see how this multimodal approach is transforming real-world biometric data into safer, simulation-based infrastructure design.

Flying an aircraft safely requires attention, skill, and split-second decisions. However, measuring these variables in simulators provides limited insights because they cannot fully replicate the realities of real-world flight. Read about how researchers from the University of Waterloo addressed this by moving from the lab into a real cockpit.

Driving is more than speed and steering. Using Neon wearable eye trackers alongside physiological and vehicle data, researchers explored how drivers handle high-demand maneuvers, rain, and automated system handoffs. This multi-layered approach reveals the hidden cognitive work behind the wheel and offers guidance for designing safer, more human-centered vehicles.