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TobiiWeb

A C++ websocket server that provides webpages with gaze data coming from Tobii Eyex devices

TobiiWeb is made of two parts:

  • Local Server: a C++ server that streams the data coming from a Tobii EyeX device to a websocket connection
  • Local Client: a Javascript library which handles the websocket connection to the server

Notes

If you're interested in just using TobiiWeb, you may refer to the TobiiWeb-Release repository, which contains the compiled version of the Local Server. This will allow you to download a way smaller repository, and use the TobiiWeb server without the need to compile it with Visual Studio.

Browser compatibility

Tobii web is currently compatible with the following browsers:

  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox

Getting started

Prerequisites

In order to successfully run TobiiWeb, you will need the following:


Then, clone or download this repository.

Running the c++ server

Make sure that your Tobii EyeX device is connected and enabled.
Open the solution file "Local Server/TobiiWeb.sln" in Visual Studio and run it.

Running the Javascript client

Open the file "Local Client/index.html" in one of the compatible browsers listed above.
You may open the browser's console to keep track of the connection state with the server.
When the connection state in the console reports:
state: session_is_open
You should see a red dot following your gaze.

Using the Javascript client:

In order to use the Local Client in your webpage, import the javascript library "Local Client/js/TobiiWeb_Client.js"

<script type="text/javascript" src="js/TobiiWeb_Client.js"></script>

Then, initialize the TobiiWeb client:

TobiiWeb_Client.start({
  enable_state_machine_logs : true,
  services : [
      {name : "GazeTracking_Service", page_url : window.location.href}
  ],
  onMessage : {
      "GazeTracking_Service" : GazeCoordinatesReceiver({
          onGazeCoordinates: function(x,y){
              /*
                Here you will receive the coordinates of the user's gaze point as (x,y)
              */
          }
      })
  }
});

And that's it, you will receive the stream of gaze coordinates in the callback passed to the GazeCoordinatesReceiver.


Then, whenever want to close the connection with the Local Server :

TobiiWeb_Client.stop();

Things to know about Gaze Coordinates:

  • Gaze coordinates come in pairs of floating point numbers (x,y) and their unit of measure is pixel (yes, the precision is sub-pixel since they are floating point)
  • Gaze coordinates are always relative to the top-left corner of the most inner window containing the webpage, regardless the position of the browserweb in your screen.
  • A webpage will receive gaze coordinates only if they fall in its window, even if two webpages are visually overlapped on the screen.

Additional services

The stream of gaze coordinates (namely, "GazeTracking_Service") is not the only service implemented in the Local Server.
Currently, the following services are available:

  • GazeTracking_Service: provides the stream of gaze coodinates
  • Screenshot_Service: provides a Base64 encoded screenshot of the currently visible portion of the webpage.
  • Echo_Service: provides the same message sent from the Local Client back to it.

You can specify which services to use during the TobiiWeb client initialization.


TobiiWeb_Client.start({
 enable_state_machine_logs : true,
 services : [
     {name : "GazeTracking_Service", page_url : window.location.href},
     {name : "Screenshot_Service"}
 ],
 onMessage : {
     ""GazeTracking_Service"" : GazeCoordinatesReceiver({
         onGazeCoordinates: function(x,y){
             /*
               Here you will receive the coordinates of the user's gaze point as (x,y)
             */
         }
     }),
     "Screenshot_Service" : function(message){
         /*
           Here you will receive the Base64 current window's screenshot as message.img
         */
     }
 }
});

In the example above, two services are requested: GazeTracking_Service and Screenshot_Service.
Unlike GazeTracking_Service, which provides a constant stream of data, Screenshot_Service needs to be triggered by a request.
Requests are sent to the Local Server using Messages:

TobiiWeb_Client.send_message("Screenshot_Service", {command:"take_screenshot"});

When the Local Server receives this message, it takes a screenshot of the current webpage in JPEG format, then it encodes it in Base64 and sends the result back to the Local Client.
At this point, you can receive the Base64 encoded image in the callback:

TobiiWeb_Client.start({
...
 onMessage : {
     ...
     "Screenshot_Service" : function(message){
         var base64Img = message.img;
     }
     ...
 }
});

Contributions

  • If you're interested in implementing new services in the Local Server, please refer to this guide