LookAHead: Hybrid Gaze (Look) And Head Refinement Approach for Hands-Free Computer Interaction ETRA004

Hands-free computer interaction provides an important alternative for users with motor impairments who struggle with conventional input devices. In this paper, we present LookAHead, a hybrid gaze and head-based interaction system that enables natural and hands-free computer control. The system uses gaze estimation to provide a coarse target location, refined by head movements for fast and convenient pointer control. To improve model's accuracy, facial landmarks are used not only for cursor control, 3D head pose estimation, and input normalization, but also to enhance the gaze estimation model. A revised gaze normalization process is proposed to improve stability under varying facial expressions. LookAHead operates without explicit calibration by employing an auto-calibration strategy that continuously adapts to users’ gaze. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method enables fast and convenient control, while reducing head movement threefold compared to conventional head-mouse, making it a practical step toward more accessible hands-free computing.