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Dr. Bo Fu is leading groundbreaking research that uses eye-tracking and intelligent gaze analytics to improve aviation safety and pilot performance. Fu is an associate professor in the Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department and currently holds the Boeing Professorship funded by a generous endowment gift from Boeing Corporation.

The project, titled “Optimizing Safety in Aviation Through Eye Tracking and Intelligent Gaze Analytics,” explores how pilots’ eye movements can reveal cognitive and physiological states that can be leveraged to predict performance. By analyzing physiological data, Dr. Fu’s research aims to inform the design of the next generation of intelligent flight deck.

The research involves a series of experiments simulating real-world flight tasks using advanced flight simulators and eye-tracking systems. Initial feasibility testing included both novice and expert pilots performing takeoff and landing procedures in visual flight conditions. Subsequent phases expanded to include simulations of instrument conditions, capturing pilots’ gaze patterns and tendencies to distinguish between successful and unsuccessful task execution, as well as encapsulating this knowledge in machine intelligence to deliver prescriptive and predictive analytics that are envisioned to mitigate threats in real time.

Dr. Fu’s team has also developed intelligent systems to simulate real-time assessment of a pilot’s attention and decision-making. Future work will integrate additional physiological measures, such as heart rate, body temperature, galvanic skin response, using unobtrusive wearable sensors to improve predictive analytics of pilot performance.

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The research has established a state-of-the-art eye-tracking laboratory in ɫ��ɫ’s VEC building. The lab is equipped with high-performance computers, flight simulators, and eye tracking systems that support both research and student training. Over a dozen students, many from underrepresented backgrounds, have participated in the project, gaining hands-on experience in predictive analytics, system design, and human factors engineering.

Several open-source tools developed by Dr. Fu’s D2 (Data Semantics & Human Data Interaction) Lab have been made freely available to the research community, including platforms for both descriptive and predictive gaze analytics. Manuscripts stemming from this work have been published at premier scientific venues including the ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization (UMAP 2024) and the ACM Symposium on Eye Tracking Research & Applications (ETRA 2025).

“This partnership has played a pivotal role in strengthening our research infrastructure, which is especially impactful at a university traditionally focused on teaching,” according to Fu. “It has opened doors for our students to engage directly with leading engineers and scientists, allowing them to tackle real-world challenges while developing both technical expertise and critical-thinking skills. These experiences are not only academically enriching but also highly transferable to their future careers.”

Through this pioneering research, Dr. Fu and her collaborators are helping redefine how human-machine interaction is studied in aviation, turning eye movements into a window for understanding cognition, improving training, and ultimately enhancing safety in the skies.