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Researchers at Essex have been granted access to one the UK’s most powerful AI supercomputers as part of a project to better understand eye behaviour and mental fatigue.

The ground-breaking ºÚÁÏÍø research aims to uncover if mental fatigue and lapses in concentration are reflected through your eyes.

The research team, led by Dr Javier Andreu-Perez, from Essex’s School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (CSEE), are allowed to use the supercomputer – known as the Isambard-AI – for 10,000 hours. It will be used to power and explore large-scale models which will integrate data from individuals and their surroundings to gain a detailed and comprehensive understanding of how the eye behaves, reacts and is influenced by cognition.

The EyeWarn UKRI-funded project will look to uncover how eye movements such as gaze patterns and pupil dilation reflect cognitive processes.

Dr Andreu-Perez, along with Essex colleagues Dr Tom Foulsham from the Department of Psychology, including Senior Research Associates, Dr Yaxiong Lei and Dr Parasto Azizinezhad from CSEE, will work with Solvemed Group on a revolutionary technology which can determine a person’s level of fatigue by scanning their eyes.

The Essex team will collaborate with researchers from UK universities and the to collect and analyse longitudinal and multimodal data using the Isambard-AI, which is a government-funded supercomputer.

Dr Andreu-Perez explained: “Our project involves collecting and analysing eye movements on natural settings. Thanks to the AI supercomputer we will be able to quickly assess and predict fatigue levels and offer new insights into how cognitive strain affects behaviour.”

The EyeWarn project is being funded as part of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council’s (BBSRC) Prosperity Partnerships programme, which aims to bring innovative research into real-world settings.

Dr Andreu-Perez, who is also Chair of the Smart Health Technologies Group within the Centre for Computational Intelligence, added: “This project represents a significant advancement in the UK's scientific efforts in Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence (HCAI).

“EyeWarn places a strong emphasis on enhancing our understanding and monitoring of human factors such as fatigue and its effects on the body through the eye.”