GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - In this week’s Tech Tuesday, our partners at UF Innovate and SCAD Media introduce Bryce Grame, a PhD student at the University of Florida. Bryce and his team at the University of Florida Transportation Institute conducted a study using eye tracking technology with transit drivers to explore potential safety improvements and training applications in public transportation.

“How would you feel if eye tracking was mandated at your job? We’re here with the University of Florida Transportation Institute to learn more. Bryce, tell us more about who you are and what you do,” said Bethany Gaffey, host of UF Innovate.

“My name is Bryce Grame. I’m a graduate student here at the University of Florida, pursuing a concurrent degree in urban and regional planning and transportation engineering,” said Bryce Grame, PhD student at the University of Florida.

“Tell me more about your recent study,” said Gaffey.

“In our study, it was the first of its kind to take eye tracking into the field and work with transit drivers. We worked with 10 drivers over the course of a week, first giving them an opportunity to drive a predefined route with their normal buses while wearing the eye tracking glasses. Then, we listened to them, and we heard what some of their potential uses for the technology could be and what they think it could be potentially harmful for,” said Grame.

“How does this type of data help make public transportation even safer?” asked Gaffey.

“Our study was actually motivated by a previous study that was conducted with automobile drivers in school zones, and the intent behind the eye tracking studies is to understand where someone’s attention is devoted as they drive. So when we learn that, we can learn a lot about transportation safety and how that can be improved. After we finished the study, we learned that in general, the drivers are very, very good at their job, and a lot of times when a crash happens, the driver was operating the vehicle properly. So in addition to the existing cameras that they already have on the buses, the eye tracking could potentially protect the drivers in a lot of circumstances,” said Grame.

“What are some examples of how this data could be used?” asked Gaffey.

“Some of the positive uses for the eye tracking data that the drivers identified in our study were using the data to train new drivers, where they would take an experienced driver out into the field with the eye tracking glasses and then use the information that’s collected to communicate some of the very important visual cues to the new drivers,” said Grame.

“For more information on studies like this, stay tuned for further updates from the University of Florida Transportation Institute,” said Gaffey.

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