BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to video cursor positioning systems. More particularly, the invention concerns a system for positioning a cursor on a video screen, in which pointing time and operator fatigue are reduced by integrating eye gaze tracking and manual operator input. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In human-computer interaction, one of the most basic elements involves selecting a target using a pointing device. Target selection is involved in opening a file with a mouse “click”, activating a world wide web link, selecting a menu item, redefining a typing or drawing insertion position, and other such operations. Engineers and scientists have developed many different approaches to target selection. One of the most popular target selection devices is the computer mouse. Although computer mouses are practically essential with today&#39;s computers, intense use can cause fatigue and repetitive motion injury. 
     Despite these limitations, further improvement of mouse-activated target selection systems has been difficult. One interesting idea for possible improvement uses eye gaze tracking instead of mouse input. There are several known techniques for monitoring eye gaze. One approach senses the electrical impulses of eye muscles to determine eye gaze. Another approach magnetically senses the position of special user-worn contact lenses having tiny magnetic coils. Still another technique, called “corneal reflection”, calculates eye gaze by projecting an invisible beam of light toward the eye, and monitoring the angular difference between pupil position and reflection of the light beam. 
     With these types of gaze tracking systems, the cursor is positioned on a video screen according to the calculated gaze of the computer operator. A number of different techniques have been developed to select a target in these systems. In one example, the system selects a target when it detects the operator fixating at the target for a certain time. Another way to select a target is when the operator&#39;s eye blinks. One problem with these systems is that humans use their the eyes naturally as perceptive, not manipulative, body parts. Eye movement is often outside conscious thought, and it can be stressful to carefully guide eye movement as required to accurately use these target selection systems. For many operators, controlling blinking or staring can be difficult, and may lead to inadvertent and erroneous target selection. Thus, although eye gaze is theoretically faster than any other body part, the need to use unnatural selection (e.g., by blinking or staring) limits the speed advantage of gaze controlled pointing over manual pointing. 
     Another limitation of the foregoing systems is the difficulty in making accurate and reliable eye tracking systems. Only relatively large targets can be selected by gaze controlling pointing techniques, because of eye jitter and other inherent difficulties in precisely monitoring eye gaze. 
     Consequently, known gaze-based target selection systems are not adequate for some applications due to certain unsolved problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Broadly, the present invention concerns a system for positioning a cursor on a video screen, where eye gaze information and manual operator input are integrated to reduce pointing time and associated operator fatigue. With the invention, pointing and target selection are perceived as a manual task, but they are aided with gaze tracking. Gaze aided tracking is used to dynamically redefine a home position of the pointing cursor in the vicinity of the target of interest, to reduce the subsequent movement distance needed to manually select the target. 
     A gaze tracking apparatus monitors eye orientation of a computer operator as the operator views a video screen. Concurrently, the computer monitors an operator input device for activation by the operator. The manual operator input device comprises a mechanically activated device, such as a mouse, keyboard, isometric pointing transducer, trackball, and the like. According to the operator&#39;s eye orientation, the computer measures the point of the operator&#39;s gaze, called “gaze position.” The computer also calculates a region of video screen surrounding the operator&#39;s gaze position. This region, for example, may be a circle that is calculated to include the operator&#39;s “actual gaze point” (as opposed to measured gaze position) with a certain probability. 
     When the computer detects mechanical activation of the operator input device, it determines an “initial display position” within the gaze area, at which to display the cursor. As one example, the initial display position may be a predetermined location with respect to the gaze area, such as a point on the bottom or top of the gaze area periphery. A different approach is to determine an initial direction of motion from the activation of the input device, and then set the initial display position on the opposite side of the gaze area from this motion. Therefore, continued movement of the input device in the same direction will direct the cursor to the measured gaze position, providing a seamless transition from gaze to manual input. 
     After displaying the cursor on the video screen at the initial display position, the cursor is thereafter positioned manually according to the operator&#39;s use of the input device. If the input device becomes inactive for a prescribed time, and is thereafter reactivated, the computer determines the difference between the cursor&#39;s position when inactivity began and the operator&#39;s present gaze position. If this difference is small, the cursor continues to appear where it was left when the input device became inactive. However, if there is a large difference, a new initial display position is calculated, considering gaze area and input device movement as mentioned above, and the cursor is repositioned there. 
     Accordingly, in one embodiment, the invention may be implemented to provide a computer-driven method to position a cursor on a video screen, where eye gaze information and manual operator input are integrated to reduce pointing time and associated operator fatigue. In another embodiment, the invention may be implemented to provide an apparatus, such as a digital processing apparatus, configured to position a cursor on a video screen, where eye gaze information and manual operator input are integrated to reduce pointing time and associated operator fatigue. In still another embodiment, the invention may be implemented to provide a signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processing apparatus to perform method steps for positioning a cursor on a video screen, where eye gaze information and manual operator input are integrated to reduce pointing time and associated operator fatigue. 
     The invention affords its users with a number of distinct advantages. Generally, the invention enables computer users to select video screen targets more quickly than with a manual pointing device alone. Since the user&#39;s target of interest is always inside the gaze area, and the cursor is initially presented near the gaze area, the user does not have to move the cursor over large distances of the computer screen. Advantageously, the pointing cursor always appears near where it needs to be. The faster speed and use of gaze helps reduces an operator&#39;s reliance on a computer mouse and keyboard, helping to avoid fatigue and possible repetitive motion injuries. In addition, the integration of gaze and manual input is seamless and therefore especially convenient to the operator. The invention also provides a number of other advantages and benefits, which should be apparent from the following description of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the hardware components and interconnections of an integrated gaze/manual cursor management system in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a digital data processing machine in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 3 shows an exemplary signal-bearing medium in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing computer-implemented process steps used to implement one particular embodiment of integrated gaze/manual cursor management system according to the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The nature, objects, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings. As mentioned above, the invention concerns a cursor positioning system that increases pointing speed and reduces operator fatigue by integrating eye gaze tracking and manual operator input. 
     HARDWARE COMPONENTS &amp; INTERCONNECTIONS 
     System Overview 
     One aspect of the invention concerns an integrated gaze/manual cursor positioning system, which may be embodied by various hardware components and interconnections as illustrated by the system  100  of FIG.  1 . Generally, the system  100  includes a computer  102 , a gaze tracking apparatus  104 , a user input device  106 , and a display  120 . The system  100  is used by a “user”, also called an “operator” (not shown). 
     Gaze Tracking Apparatus 
     The gaze tracking apparatus  104  is a device for monitoring the eye gaze of the computer operator. The device  104  may use many different techniques to monitor eye gaze, depending upon the particular needs of the application. As one example, the device  104  may employ one or more of the following: 
     1. Electro-Oculography. This technique places skin electrodes around the eye, and records potential differences, representative of eye position. 
     2. Corneal Reflection. This technique directs an infrared light beam at the operator&#39;s eye and measures the angular difference between the operator&#39;s mobile pupil and the stationary light beam reflection. 
     3. Lumbus, Pupil, and Eyelid Tracking. These techniques include scanning the eye region with an apparatus such as a television camera or other scanner, and analyzing the resultant image. 
     4. Contact Lens. These techniques use some device attached to the eye with a specially manufactured contact lens. With the “optical lever”, for example, one or more plane mirror surfaces ground on the lens reflect light from a light source to a photographic plate or photocell or quadrant detector array. Another approach uses a magnetic sensor in conjunction with contact lenses with implanted magnetic coils. 
     A number of different gaze tracking approaches are surveyed in the following reference, which is incorporated herein in its entirety: Young et al., “Methods &amp; Designs: Survey of Eye Movement Recording Methods”, Behavior Research Methods &amp; Instrumentation, 1975, Vol. 7(5), pp. 397-429. Ordinarily skilled artisans, having the benefit of this disclosure, will also recognize a number of different devices suitable for use as the apparatus  104 . 
     As a specific example of one gaze tracking approach for use in the present invention, reference is made to the following patents, incorporated herein in their entirety: (1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,670 to Hutchison, issued Jun. 6, 1989 and entitled “Eye Movement Detector”, (2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,069 to Hutchison, issued Aug. 21, 1990 and entitled “Eye Movement Detector With Improved Calibration and Speed”, and (3) U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,990 to Garwin et al., issued Jun. 17, 1986 and entitled “Eye Controlled Information Transfer”. Also, although the invention&#39;s gaze tracking apparatus  104  may be a custom product, a commercially available product may be used instead, such as the EyeTrac Series 4000 product by Applied Science Labs, or the EyeGaze system by LC Technology. 
     Although the software programming associated with the gaze tracking apparatus  104  may be included with the apparatus  104  itself, the particular example of FIG. 1 shows the associated software implemented in the gaze tracking module  118 , described below. The module  118  may be included solely in the computer  102 , in the apparatus  104 , or in a combination of the two, depending upon the particular application. 
     Advantageously, the invention is capable of accurate operation with inexpensive, relatively low-resolution gaze tracking apparatuses. For instance, significant benefits can be gained with gaze tracking accuracy ±3 degrees, which is a low error requirement for gaze tracking systems. With this level of permissible error, the gaze tracking apparatus  104  may comprise an inexpensive video camera, many of which are known and becoming increasingly popular for use in computer systems. 
     User Input Device(s) 
     The user input device  106  comprises an operator input device with an element sensitive to pressure, physical contact, or other manual activation by a human operator. This is referred to as “manual” input that “mechanically” activates the input device  106 , in contrast to gaze input from the gaze tracking apparatus. As an example, the device  106  may include one or more of the following: a computer keyboard, a mouse, “track-ball”, a foot-activated switch or trigger, pressure-sensitive transducer stick such as the IBM TRACKPOINT product, tongue activated pointer, and/or another mechanically activated device. In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a keyboard  108  and mouse  110  are shown. Although the software programming associated with the input device  106  may be included with the device  106 , the particular example of FIG. 1 shows the necessary input device software implemented in the user input module  116 , described below. The module  116  may be included solely in the computer  102 , the input device  106 , or a combination of the two, depending upon the particular application. 
     Display 
     The display  120  provides an electronic medium for optically presenting text and graphics to the operator. The display  120  may be implemented by any suitable computer display with sufficient ability to depict graphical images including a cursor. For instance, the display  120  may employ a cathode ray tube, liquid crystal diode screen, light emitting diode screen, or another suitable video apparatus. The images of the display  120  are determined by signals from the video module  122 , described below. The display  120  may also be referred to by other names, such as video display, video screen, display screen, video monitor, display monitor, etc. The displayed cursor may comprise an arrow, bracket, short line, dot, cross-hair, or any other image suitable for selecting targets, positioning an insertion point for text or graphics, etc. 
     Computer 
     The computer  102  includes one or more application programs  112 , a user input module  116 , a gaze tracking module  118 , an integration module  114 , and a video module  122 . The computer  102  may be a new machine, or one selected from any number of different products such as a known personal computer, computer workstation, mainframe computer, or another suitable digital data processing device. As an example, the computer  102  may be an IBM THINKPAD computer. Although such a computer clearly includes a number of other components in addition those of FIG. 1, these components are omitted from FIG. 1 for ease of illustration. 
     The video module  122  comprises a product that generates video signals representing images. These signals are compatible with the display  120 , and cause the display  120  to show the corresponding images. The video module  122  may be provided by hardware, software, or a combination. As a more specific example, the video module  122  may be a video display card, such as an SVGA card. 
     The application programs  112  comprise various programs running on the computer  102 , and requiring operator input from time to time. This input may include text (entered via the keyboard  108 ) as well as positional and target selection information (entered using the mouse  110 ). The positional information positions a cursor relative to images supplied by the application program. The target selection information selects a portion of the displayed screen image identified by the cursor position at the moment the operator performs an operation such as a mouse “click”. Examples of application programs  112  include commercially available programs such as database programs, word processing, financial software, computer games, computer aided design, etc. 
     The user input module  116  comprises a software module configured to receive and interpret signals from the input device  106 . As a specific example, the module  116  may include a mouse driver that receives electrical signals from the mouse  110  and provides an x-y output representing where the mouse is positioned. Similarly, the gaze tracking module  118  comprises a software module configured to receive and interpret signals from the gaze tracking apparatus  104 . As a specific example, the module  118  may include a program that receives electrical signals from the apparatus  104  and provides an x-y output representing a point where the operator is calculated to be gazing, called the “gaze position”. 
     As explained in greater detail below, the integration module  114  serves to integrate manual operator input (from the user input module  116  and input device  106 ) with eye gaze input (from the gaze tracking apparatus  104  and gaze tracking module  118 ). The integration module  114  applies certain criteria to input from the components  104 / 106  to determine how the cursor is shown on the display  120 . 
     Exemplary Digital Data Processing Apparatus 
     Another aspect of the invention concerns a digital data processing apparatus, which may be used to implement one or more components of the system  100 . This apparatus may be embodied by various hardware components and interconnections, as exemplified in FIG. 2 by the digital data processing apparatus  200 . The apparatus  200  includes a processor  202 , such as a microprocessor or other processing machine, coupled to a storage  204 . In the present example, the storage  204  includes a fast-access storage  206 , as well as nonvolatile storage  208 . The fast-access storage  206  may comprise random access memory, and may be used to store the programming instructions executed by the processor  202 . The nonvolatile storage  208  may comprise, for example, one or more magnetic data storage disks such as a “hard drive”, electronic read-only memory, magnetic tape, CD-ROM, or any other suitable storage device. The apparatus  200  also includes an input/output  210 , such as a line, bus, cable, electromagnetic link, or other means for exchanging data with the processor  202 . 
     Despite the specific foregoing description, ordinarily skilled artisans (having the benefit of this disclosure) will recognize that the apparatus discussed above may be implemented in a machine of different construction, without departing from the scope of the invention. As a specific example, one of the components  206 ,  208  may be eliminated; furthermore, the storage  204  may be provided on-board the processor  202 , or even provided externally to the apparatus  200 . 
     OPERATION 
     In addition to the hardware environment described above, a different aspect of the invention concerns a computer-implemented method for cursor positioning by integrating gaze tracking and manual operator input. As an example, this method may be implemented in the particular hardware environment discussed above. 
     Signal-Bearing Media 
     In the context of FIGS. 1-2, such a method may be implemented, for example, by operating the computer  102  (FIG.  1 ), as embodied by a digital data processing apparatus  200  (FIG.  2 ), to execute a sequence of machine-readable instructions. These instructions may reside in various types of signal-bearing media. In this respect, one aspect of the present invention concerns a programmed product, comprising signal-bearing media tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processor to perform a method to perform integrated gaze/manual cursor positioning. 
     This signal-bearing media may comprise, for example, RAM (not shown) contained within the computer  102 , as represented by the fast-access storage  206  for example. Alternatively, the instructions may be contained in another signal-bearing media, such as a magnetic data storage diskette  300  (FIG.  3 ), directly or indirectly accessible by the computer  102 . Whether contained in the diskette  300 , the computer  102 , or elsewhere, the instructions may be stored on a variety of machine-readable data storage media, such as DASD storage (e.g., a conventional “hard drive” or a RAID array), magnetic tape, electronic read-only memory (e.g., ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM), an optical storage device (e.g. CD-ROM, WORM, DVD, digital optical tape), paper “punch” cards, or other suitable signal-bearing media including transmission media such as digital and analog and communication links and wireless. In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, the machine-readable instructions may comprise software object code, compiled from a language such as “C”, etc. 
     Overall Sequence of Operation 
     Introduction 
     FIG. 4 shows a sequence of method steps  400  to illustrate one example of the method aspect of the present invention. For ease of explanation, but without any limitation intended thereby, the example of FIG. 4 is described in the context of the hardware environment described above in FIGS. 1-2. The process  400  is initiated in step  402 . As an example, this may occur automatically when the computer  102  boots-up, under control of one of the application programs  112 , when the operator manually activates the integration module  114 , or at another time. In the illustrated example, when the routine  400  begins, display of the cursor associated with the user input device  106  is suppressed (“hidden”). 
     Tracking “Gaze Position” 
     In response to step  402 , the integration module  114  starts to monitor the operator&#39;s gaze position in step  404 . The gaze position is a point where the gaze tracking apparatus  104  and gaze tracking module  118  calculate the operator&#39;s actual gaze point to be. This calculated point may include some error due to the limits of resolution of the gaze tracking apparatus  104 , intrinsic difficulties in calculating gaze (e.g., accounting for head movement in corneal reflection systems, etc.), and other sources of error. These sources of error are collectively referred to as “system noise”, and may be understood by studying and measuring the operation of the system  100 . For example, it may be determined in some systems that the error between gaze position and actual gaze point has a Gaussian distribution. 
     As an example, step  404  may be performed by receiving x-y position signals from the gaze tracking module  118 . 
     Detecting User Input 
     In step  406 , the integration module  114  determines whether there has been any manual user input from the device  106 . In other words, step  406  determines whether the input device  106  has been mechanically activated by the user. In the present example, step  406  senses whether the operator has moved the mouse  110  across its resting surface, such as a mouse pad. In a system where a trackball is used instead of the mouse  110 , step  406  senses whether the ball has been rolled. 
     Responding to User Input 
     If movement is detected, the integration module  114  computes an “initial display position” and displays the cursor at this position in step  408 . In an alternative embodiment, initial display position may be computed continually, periodically, or according to another schedule independent of the presence of operator input. 
     In the illustrated example, the initial display position is computed by the following sub-steps. Although these steps are described in an order that represents one embodiment of the invention, this order may be changed in different ways without departing from the scope of this invention. 
     First, a “gaze area” is calculated, comprising a region that surrounds the gaze position at the time manual user input is received and includes the operator&#39;s actual gaze point. As one example, the gaze area may be calculated to include the actual gaze point with a prescribed degree of probability, such as 95%. In other words, the gaze area in this example comprises a region in which the user&#39;s actual gaze point is statistically likely to reside, considering the measured gaze position and predicted or known system noise. Thus, the gaze area&#39;s shape and size may change according to cursor position on the display  120 , because some areas of the display  120  may be associated with greater noise than others. As a further example, the gaze area may comprise a circle of sufficient radius to include the actual gaze point within a prescribed probability, such as three standard deviations (“sigma”). In this embodiment, the circle representing the gaze area may change in radius at different display positions; alternatively, the circle may exhibit a constant radius large enough to include the actual gaze point with the prescribed probability at any point on the display  120 . Of course, ordinarily skilled artisans having the benefit of this disclosure will recognize a number of other shapes and configurations of gaze area without departing from this invention. 
     Also in step  408 , the integration module  114  determines the direction of the initial mouse movement, as originally detected in step  406 . This may be performed, for example, by processing the mouse&#39;s output signals to develop a mouse movement vector. This vector represents the average direction of mouse movement, and can be calculated in a matter of milliseconds. 
     Having identified the direction of initial mouse movement, the integration module  114  identifies the approximate center of the gaze area, and computes a line projecting outward from the approximate center, opposite the direction of the mouse movement vector. With this information, the integration module  114  identifies a point where the line from the gaze area&#39;s center intersects the periphery of the gaze area. This is the initial display position. Thus, the initial display position is positioned so that, if the operator continues to move the mouse in the same direction as initially detected, the mouse will travel into the gaze area and toward its center. Thus, the initial display position is placed on the opposite side of the gaze area from the direction the mouse is initially moved. As an example, if the user input of step  406  comprises movement toward the top of the display  120 , the initial display position is set at the bottom periphery of the gaze area. 
     Having computed the initial display position in step  408 , the integration module  114  displays the cursor there. The cursor having been suppressed, this initial appearance of the cursor is called “warping”. Accordingly, in step  408  the cursor is said to have “warped” to its initial display position. 
     As one option, one or more highly visible animations may be used to help the operator find the warped cursor in its initial display position. Namely, the cursor may exhibit a brief animation (known as “spriting”) to catch the operator&#39;s eye and enable the operator to quickly reacquire the cursor. One example of this animation comprises a briefly appearing sequence of increasingly smaller circles, drawn concentric to the cursor&#39;s initial display position. Since the human visual system is very sensitive to motion, the animated cursor is quickly found by the operator. After the animation completes, the operator has a visual lock on the cursor and proceeds to reposition the cursor normally with the input device  106 . 
     As an alternative to the initial display calculation described above (step  408 ), the initial display position may have a fixed relationship with respect to the gaze area. For instance, the initial display position may always be at the bottom of the gaze area, or another area such as the top, top-right corner, center, etc. Some users may benefit from a static initial display position, due to its consistency. Since the user can always anticipate the cursor&#39;s initial position, the user can consistently initiate cursor movement in the same direction. 
     As another initial display position alternative, the selection of the initial display position may also consider video screen content as input. For example, if the calculated gaze area only includes one target (such as an icon), the initial display position may be placed over that target. If the gaze area includes multiple targets, the initial display position may consider a predetermined default target, a historically most-frequent target, a position between competing targets of equal status, the target most aligned with the initial direction of the user input device, etc. 
     After step  408 , the integration module  114  directs normal movement of the cursor according to user input through the input device  106 , irrespective of eye gaze. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the system  100  may be implemented to automatically recalibrate the gaze tracking module  118 . Namely, if the operator selects a target in the gaze area, the selected target is assumed to be the actual gaze point. The predicted gaze position and the position of the selected target are sent to the gaze tracking module  118  as representative “new data” for use in recalibration. The gaze tracking module  118  may use the new data to recalibrate the gaze direction calculation. The integration module  114  may also use this data to update the calculation of the gaze area on the display  120 . The recalibration may compensate for many different error sources. For example, recalibration may be done per user or video display, or for different operating conditions such as indoor use, outdoor use, stationary/moving system operation, etc. Regardless of the way the new data is used by the gaze tracking apparatus  104 , the new data may also be used by the integration module  114  to estimate the size and shape of the gaze area on the display  120 . For example, in the system  100 , the standard deviation of error can be estimated and updated according to the new data. The gaze area may also be estimated independently by the application programs  112 . For purposes of recalibration and gaze area estimation, the system  100  and the gaze tracking apparatus  104  may maintain and save history and statistics of the new data. This allows profiles to be created and restored for each user, system, operating condition, etc. 
     User Inactivity 
     Normal cursor movement continues in step  410  until the integration module  114  detects user inactivity in step  412 . User inactivity may be defined by various conditions, such as absence of mouse input for a predetermined time, such as 100 milliseconds. As another option, inactivity may constitute the absence of any input from all components of the user input device  106 . In response to user in activity, the integration module  114  keeps displaying the cursor in the same place, as shown by step  414 . As an alternative, the module  114  may respond to the detected inactivity by hiding the cursor. 
     Sensing and Processing Renewed Activity 
     The module  114  then monitors the user input device  106  for renewed activity in step  416 . In the illustrated embodiment, renewed activity comprises movement of the mouse  110 , representing a horizontal and/or vertical cursor movement. However, other types of renewed activity may be sensed, such as clicking one or more mouse buttons, striking a keyboard key, etc. Despite the end and renewal of user activity, the gaze tracking apparatus  104  and gaze tracking module  118  continue to cooperatively follow the operator&#39;s gaze, and periodically recalculate the current gaze position. In response to the renewed activity, the routine  400  progresses from step  416  to step  418 , in which the integration module  114  determines whether the current gaze position is in the same vicinity as the position of step  414 . Also, the module  114  keeps the cursor in this same position, as shown by step  420 . Alternatively, if the cursor was hidden in step  414 , then the module  114  displays the cursor in the position from which it was hidden. Following step  420 , control passes to step  410  and continues with the routine  400  as discussed above. 
     However, if step  418  finds the user&#39;s current gaze area at the time of renewed activity differs from the cursor&#39;s resting position from step  414 , then control advances to step  408 , which computes a new initial display position for the cursor, and warps the cursor accordingly, as described above. Following step  408 , the routine  400  continues as discussed above. 
     OTHER EMBODIMENTS 
     While the foregoing disclosure shows a number of illustrative embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.
A computer-driven system aids operator positioning of a cursor by integrating eye gaze and manual operator input, thus reducing pointing time and operator fatigue. A gaze tracking apparatus monitors operator eye orientation while the operator views a video screen. Concurrently, the computer monitors an input device, such as a mouse, for mechanical activation by the operator. According to the operator's eye orientation, the computer calculates the operator's gaze position. Also computed is a gaze area, comprising a sub-region of the video screen that includes the gaze position. This region, for example, may be a circle of sufficient radius to include the point of actual gaze with a certain likelihood. When the computer detects mechanical activation of the operator input device, it determines an initial cursor display position within the current gaze area. This position may be a predetermined location with respect to the gaze area, such as a point on the bottom of the gaze area periphery. A different approach uses the initial mechanical activation of the input device to determine the direction of motion, and sets the initial display position on the opposite side of the gaze area from this motion so that continued movement of the input device brings the cursor to the gaze position in a seamless transition between gaze and manual input. After displaying the cursor on the video screen at the initial display position, the cursor is thereafter positioned manually according to the operator's use of the input device, without regard to gaze.