VIVA Stimuli: A Web-Based Platform for Eye Tracking Stimuli

TL;DR

VIVA Stimuli is a web-based platform designed to standardize and facilitate reproducible eye-tracking experiments across diverse hardware and laboratory settings.

Contribution

It introduces a configurable, hardware-agnostic, web-based tool for standardized stimulus presentation and experiment sharing in eye-tracking research.

Findings

Supports multiple eye-tracking technologies including wearable and screen-based devices.

Enables synchronization across different hardware using ArUco markers and WebSocket.

Allows sharing and replication of experimental protocols across laboratories.

Abstract

Reproducibility in eye-tracking research is increasingly important as researchers conduct diverse experiments and seek to validate or replicate findings. However, exact replication remains challenging due to differences in laboratory practices and experimental setups. Inconsistent stimulus presentation can yield divergent metrics from identical oculomotor behavior, yet the stimulus layer remains largely unstandardized. Existing tools often require programming expertise or depend on specific hardware vendors. We introduce VIVA Stimuli, a web-based platform for standardized eye-tracking stimulus presentation. It provides configurable task types, including fixation, smooth pursuit, cognitive load, blink, slippage, content display, and questionnaires within a unified environment. The platform supports any eye-tracking technology, including wearable and screen-based VOG trackers, LFI sensors, and EOG devices. ArUco markers enable synchronization for trackers with scene cameras, while a WebSocket architecture ensures temporal synchronization for those without. A visual experiment flow editor allows protocols to be exported and shared, enabling identical stimulus replication across laboratories.