As public displays become more ubiquitous, common authentication methods face security (e.g., shoulder surfing) and sanitary risks. Gaze-based systems offer a promising alternative, but their adoption is often limited by required calibration and the Midas Touch problem. We present EyeGestureLogin, a touch-free, knowledge-based method that uses gaze to enter lock patterns on a familiar 3 × 3 layout. EyeGestureLogin supports spontaneous walk-up use by replacing explicit calibration with an implicit, single-point offset estimation, and mitigates the Midas Touch using a short dwell-time trigger for fully hands-free input. The interface captures patterns by processing AOI-based fixations; we additionally evaluate an offline saccade-based detector. In a controlled study (n = 24), we achieved 91.59% accuracy (91.88% offline) with a mean entry time of 4.36 s. These results suggest that EyeGestureLogin enables fast and accurate hands-free authentication for public displays, motivating further evaluation under real-world deployment conditions.

Event detection (e.g., fixations and saccades) is a prerequisite for many eye-tracking analyses. However, existing solutions often require coding experience, rely on closed-source vendor tools, or focus on narrow paradigms (e.g., reading). Additionally, most are designed for stationary eye tracking, whereas head-mounted recordings are affected by head/scene motion, making event detection more difficult. Therefore, we present OpenGazeLab, a publicly available, browser-based toolkit that unifies event extraction, parameter configuration, and data inspection for both stationary and head-mounted eye tracking. OpenGazeLab implements I-DT and I-VT, and extends them for head-mounted data using scene-motion compensation and adaptive thresholds. The toolkit also provides a timeline-based visualisation that overlays gaze and detected events on the stimulus image or scene video, enabling quick visual verification. OpenGazeLab is implemented using widely used, well-maintained Python frameworks to support reproducible, easy-to-adopt workflows, and we plan to extend it with additional event classes (e.g., smooth pursuit) and alternative detectors.

Abstract Integrating eye-tracking technologies in Extended Reality (XR) headsets has enabled intuitive, hands-free system interaction, such as gaze-based menu navigation. However, there is a lack of comprehensive comparisons and consensus in the literature on the optimal use of gaze-based menu navigation. This paper presents a comparative analysis of gaze-based menu navigation in virtual environments, focusing on two common menu layouts: pie and list menus, with three interaction methods: gaze-based dwell, controller-based, and a multimodal approach combining gaze and controller inputs. We conducted a 19-participant within-subject study, measuring task completion time, error rate, usability, and user preference for each condition. The results indicate that while the pie layout was statistically faster and less erroneous than the list layout, novice users tend to favour list layouts. Furthermore, we found that users preferred the multimodal interaction method, despite its lower task completion times and higher error rates compared to controller-based navigation. Based on our findings, we offer design guidelines and recommendations for implementing gaze-based menu systems.

The MASTER project introduces an open Extended Reality (XR) platform designed to enhance human-robot collaboration and train workers in robotics within manufacturing settings. It includes modules for creating safe workspaces, intuitive robot programming, and user-friendly human-robot interactions (HRI), including eye-tracking technologies. The development of the platform is supported by two open calls targeting technical SMEs and educational institutes to enhance and test its functionalities. By employing the learning-by-doing methodology and integrating effective teaching principles, the MASTER platform aims to provide a comprehensive learning environment, preparing students and professionals for the complexities of flexible and collaborative manufacturing settings.

Password entry is common authentication approach in Extended Reality (XR) applications for its simplicity and familiarity, but it faces challenges in public and dynamic environments due to its cumbersome nature and susceptibility to observation attacks. Manual password input can be disruptive and prone to theft through shoulder surfing or surveillance. While alternative knowledge-based approaches exist, they often require complex physical gestures and are impractical for frequent public use. We present GazeLock, an eye-tracking and lock pattern-based authentication method. This method aims to provide an easy-to-learn and efficient alternative by leveraging familiar lock patterns operated through gaze. It ensures resilience to external observation, as physical interaction is unnecessary and eyes are obscured by the headset. Its hands-free, discreet nature makes it suitable for secure public use. We demonstrate this method by simulating the unlocking of a smart lock via an XR headset, showcasing its potential applications and benefits in real-world scenarios.

Medial axis representation (a.k.a. shape skeleton) seems to be present in visual processing, but its relevance has remained unclear. Here, we show the potentials of the medial axis transformation in the temporal propagation of superpixels. We combine (i) state-of-the-art deep neural network `sensors' for optical flow and for depth estimation and (ii) a superpixel algorithm with (iii) the medial axis transformation to obtain frame-to-frame propagation of visual objects. We study the precision of this deep learning facilitated superpixel temporal propagation. We discuss the advantages of the method compared to the temporal propagation of the superpixels themselves.

We estimated the contribution of different factors in segmentation tasks by means of deep neural networks. Results indicated that texture and optical flow have similar power, but they seem not to add up. In turn, we decided to study the `Common Fate Principle' of the 100 years gestaltism suggesting that elements that move together belong together. We developed a simple, fast, and efficient episodic segmentation method that - to some extent - resembles the `how system' of the visual processing: we dropped every piece of information except motion, and started from pure optical flow estimations on 2D videos. For the sake of segmentation, we used a parallel and fast hierarchical supervoxel algorithm. We studied (i) grid topology in space and time, (ii) 2D grid in space and topology dictated by the optical flow in time, and (iii) added deep network based depth estimation from 2D images. We measure performances on episodic foreground-background segmentation task of the Davis benchmark videos. Results are competitive to state-of-the-art segmentation techniques.