Wearable Reading Assist System: Augmented Reality Document Combining Document Retrieval and Eye Tracking

We present a new system that assists people´s reading activity by combining a wearable eye tracker, a see-through head mounted display, and an image based document retrieval engine. An image based document retrieval engine is used for identification of the reading document, whereas an eye tracker is used to detect which part of the document the reader is currently reading. The reader can refer to the glossary of the latest viewed key word by looking at the see-through head mounted display. This novel document reading assist application, which is the integration of a document retrieval system into an everyday reading scenario for the first time, enriches people´s reading life. In this paper, we i) investigate the performance of the state-of-the-art image based document retrieval method using a wearable camera, ii) propose a method for identification of the word the reader is attendant, and iii) conduct pilot studies for evaluation of the system in this reading context. The results show the potential of a document retrieval system in combination with a gaze based user-oriented system.