#HTE

Eye-Tracking a Formula One Racecar Driver: What Do They Look At?

Formula One steering wheels used to look like this:

Now they look more like this:

The amazing thing is, that latter game-controller-looking monstrosity is actually a triumph of UI design. We know this because the folks at the Sky Sports F1 channel teamed up with an eye-tracking technology company to see precisely what Formula One drivers are looking at—and champion driver Nico Hülkenberg, outfitted with a pair of eye-tracking glasses, doesn’t need to look at the wheel at all while putting his car through the paces.

More interesting is where, precisely, an F1 driver does place his eyeballs from second to second while piloting these land rockets around a track at high speeds. Have a look:

I’d be curious to see this done with regular drivers on the road. Then again, I have a feeling I know where their eyes are most of the time: