Komogortsev Oleg's Web Page

Educational goal: provide new interaction experience to the K-12 students to involve and facilitate their interest toward STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education.

Description: Balura presents the user with the task of harvesting resources in a complex dynamic environment. Resources are represented by a group of colored balloons that move across the screen at various speeds, stop at random time intervals and get obscured by similar balloons of a different color. The goal of a participant is to select all balloons of one color as soon as possible by 1) selecting targets via a mouse, 2) selecting targets by eye dwelling on each (experiencing an eye fixation) [video], 3) selecting a target “instantaneously” using a novel ultra-fast method that allows prediction of intended target location by analyzing the onset of the eye movement trajectory leading to the target [video].

More technical description of the game and the interaction methods is provided here:

Download Balura source code here. If you download the software it is assumed that you agree to the copyright agreement at the bottom of the page.

The compressed files have been password protected. Please email Dr. Oleg Komogortsev for the password. Kindly indicate your university/industry affiliation and a brief description of how you plan to use the software. Please use words "Balura" in the subject line.

Acknowledgment: special thanks are expressed to Dr. Alex Karpov for the code of the distributed game. The creation of Balura game is funded in part by the NSF CAREER grant #CNS-1250718 and funds from Texas State University.

The software is distributed under the following license and to be cited in the bibliography as:

IN NO EVENT SHALL THE TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY BE LIABLE TO ANY PARTY FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE AND ITS DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF THE TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

THE TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE SOFTWARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, AND THE TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY HAS NO OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT, UPDATES, ENHANCEMENTS, OR MODIFICATIONS.