Systems, methods, and machine-readable media for authenticating a user

Abstract

According to the present invention, a system for authenticating a user of a device is disclosed. The system may include a first image sensor, a determination unit, and an authentication unit. The first image sensor may be used to capture at least one image of at least a portion of the user. The determination unit may be used to determine information related to the user's eyes based at least in part on the at least one image captured by the first image sensor. The authentication unit may be used to authenticate the user using the information related to the user's eyes.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 148,501, filed on April 16, 2016, entitled “IDENTIFICATION OR AUTHENTICATION OF A USER USING GAZE INFORMATION,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. Background Art

[0003] The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for user identification and / or authentication of a user using gaze information from the user, and in particular to systems and methods for allowing a user to log into a device using such gaze information.

[0004] Security is of paramount importance in modern computing. As computing devices become more mobile and powerful, more and more devices are being used by multiple users. Therefore, accurately identifying multiple users and enabling them to log into a device is critical.

[0005] Traditional identification and authentication systems rely on simple mechanisms, such as password or passcode authentication. This is cumbersome because the system relies on the user's ability to remember the exact syntax of both the username and / or password. And often the user must remember a large number of potentially different usernames and passwords for different systems. Furthermore, such information could potentially be learned, extracted, copied or otherwise obtained from the user in order to be used to falsely log in as that user.

[0006] It has been previously proposed to use other forms of identification and authentication to allow users to log into computing devices. For example, many computing devices now include fingerprint sensors for scanning a user's fingerprint to facilitate logging into the device. A problem with such systems is that the user must keep their finger still on the sensing surface for a period of time, and therefore impatience and additional issues such as dirt and other obstructions on the sensing surface or the finger may prevent the system from functioning correctly.

[0007] Additionally, retinal scanning techniques have been proposed as an alternative authentication technique. In these systems, the user's retina is scanned by a camera or the like and matched to a stored retinal profile, allowing the correct user to log into the computing device. This system also requires the user to remain still during the scan and therefore presents the potential for system failure.

[0008] Retinal scanning and other facial scanning systems can also be fooled by methods such as scanning a photo of a person or their eyes. Therefore, there is a need for an improved system to authenticate a user as a live person and allow login to a device.

[0009] Furthermore, there is a need for a contactless login process that is unique to the user and allows the user to authenticate with respect to the computing device even when being observed by a third party. Summary of the invention

[0010] In one embodiment, a system for authenticating a user of a device is provided. The system may include a first image sensor, a determination unit, and an authentication unit. The first image sensor may be used to capture at least one image of at least a portion of the user. The determination unit may be used to determine information related to the user's eyes based at least in part on the at least one image captured by the first image sensor. The authentication unit may be used to authenticate the user using the information related to the user's eyes.

[0011] In another embodiment, a method for authenticating a user of a device is provided. The method may include capturing at least one image of at least a portion of the user with a first image sensor. The method may also include determining information related to the user's eyes based at least in part on the at least one image captured by the first image sensor. The method may further include authenticating the user using the information related to the user's eyes.

[0012] In another embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon is provided, the instructions being for a method of authenticating a user of a device. The method may include capturing at least one image of at least a portion of the user with a first image sensor. The method may also include determining information related to an eye of the user based at least in part on the at least one image captured by the first image sensor. The method may further include authenticating the user using the information related to the eye of the user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0014] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system of one embodiment of the present invention for authenticating a user of a device;

[0015] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a method of one embodiment of the present invention for authenticating a user of a device; and

[0016] Figure 3 It is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system that can be used in at least some portion of the apparatus or system of the present invention, or can implement at least some portion of the method of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following description provides only exemplary embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. Instead, the following description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing one or more exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes may be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth herein.

[0018] Specific details are provided in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be put into practice without these specific details. For example, in any given embodiment discussed herein, any specific details of the embodiment may or may not be present in all conceivable versions of the embodiment. Similarly, any details discussed about an embodiment may or may not be present in any potential version of other embodiments discussed herein. In addition, circuits, systems, networks, processes, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures and techniques and other elements in the present invention may be discussed without unnecessary details to avoid blurring the embodiments.

[0019] The term "machine-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, wireless channels, and various other media capable of storing, containing, or carrying (one or more) instructions and / or data. Code segments or machine executable instructions can represent any combination of processes, functions, subroutines, programs, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes, or instructions, data structures, or program statements. Code segments can be connected to another code segment or hardware circuit by transmitting and / or receiving information, data, parameters, quantities, or memory contents. Information, parameters, quantities, data, etc. can be transmitted, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

[0020] In addition, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented at least in part manually or automatically. Manual or automatic implementations may be performed or at least assisted by the use of machines, hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a machine-readable medium. (One or more) processors may perform the necessary tasks.

[0021] In some embodiments, a system for authenticating a user is provided whereby the system utilizes information from a gaze determination device. In an exemplary embodiment, the gaze determination device is an infrared-based eye tracking device, such as commercially available systems from Tobii (www.tobii.com) or other suppliers. It is also possible to use an eye tracking device incorporated into a wearable system, such as a virtual reality or augmented reality headset.

[0022] Broadly speaking, embodiments of the present invention relate to systems for authenticating a user according to the following methods: (1) using information from an image sensor or eye tracking device to verify that a user is present in front of a device, (2) verifying that the user is a proper user of the device based on facial recognition and / or providing enhanced verification that the user is a proper user of the device by receiving and analyzing gaze and / or eye information, and (3) authenticating the user based on information from the previous steps.

[0023] The image captured by the image sensor may include only one or both eyes of the user, or it may further include additional information such as the user's face. It is an explicit object of the present invention to allow the use of any information that can be captured by an eye tracking device. This information includes, but is not limited to, eye openness, eye position, eye orientation, and head orientation. An image including the user's face may be analyzed using a facial recognition algorithm as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to identify the user.

[0024] Additionally, it may be advantageous to determine that the captured image is of a live person. According to some embodiments, one method of doing this may be to analyze the captured image for the presence of infrared light reflected from the user's cornea. By using an infrared light based eye tracking device, there may be a glint on the cornea of ​​the user's eye(s), which may be captured using a suitably configured image sensor.

[0025] Another method for determining whether a captured image is of a live person may be to examine a series of captured images. The series of captured images may be analyzed to determine whether the user's gaze point is static. A non-static gaze point will generally indicate a live person. The analysis may even look for and identify known movements of live eyes, such as saccades and / or fixations, including micro-saccades.

[0026] Another method for determining whether the captured image is of a live person may be to compare images captured when different light sources are activated. For example, when an infrared light source placed coaxially with the image sensor is activated, the captured image may have a so-called bright pupil effect, while when an infrared light source placed non-coaxially with the image sensor is activated, the captured image will have a so-called dark pupil effect. A comparison of the bright pupil and dark pupil images may be performed to determine the presence of a pupil. In this way, it may be difficult to provide the system with a false pupil.

[0027] Once the system has determined that the user is alive and has identified the user, it can optionally load a personal calibration profile that defines the characteristics of at least one of the person's eyes. The calibration profile can be used to change a determined user gaze direction, for example, the calibration profile can provide a standard offset to be applied to all determined gaze directions from the user. Alternatively, the calibration profile can contain data about the characteristics of the user's (one or both) eyes, for example, the offset of the fovea relative to the optical axis of the eye or the corneal curvature of the eye. The user can then gaze at an indicator on the display indicating that they wish to log into the system, for example, a button saying "Login", a small eye-catching icon, etc. would be appropriate.

[0028] In another refinement, the calibration profile may contain additional information such as inter-pupillary distance, pupil size, variation in pupil size, bright pupil contrast, dark pupil contrast, corneal radius, etc. This information may be pre-existing in the calibration profile, or may be incorporated into the calibration profile while analyzing to determine whether the user is alive. To perform the login (authentication) process, the user may do one of the following depending on the system configuration:

[0029] In a first embodiment - viewing a series of images or text displayed in a predetermined order, essentially gazing at a pattern. The pattern has been previously defined (such as during the setup phase of the system), assigned to the user, or selected by the user. A comparison of the previously defined pattern with the currently detected pattern can be used to determine whether the user is authenticated.

[0030] In a second embodiment - following a moving object with their eye(s), which could be a single moving object among a series of moving objects. This specific moving object is predefined, assigned to the user or selected by the user during the setup phase of the system, and logging into the device is allowed if the user's eye(s) follows this specific moving object and not other objects that are also displayed.

[0031] In a third embodiment - different moving objects are gazed at in a predefined order among a series of moving objects (the predefined order being defined during a setup phase of the system, assigned to the user or selected by the user).

[0032] In a fourth embodiment - looking at a predefined object, image or part of an image (said predefined object, image or part of an image being defined, assigned to the user or selected by the user during a setup phase of the system).

[0033] The specific points in the gaze movement sequence can be defined according to the time that the user's gaze stays at each point. In addition, the total amount of time spent to complete the sequence can also be used as a decision point to determine whether the sequence is legal.

[0034] It may be desirable to include a "reset" function for initiating the login process, which may be an icon displayed on the screen or the like that the user must gaze at or otherwise activate to indicate to the system that the user wishes to begin the login process.

[0035] In another refinement of the invention, a "panic" authentication mode may be defined by the user. In this mode, the user may set an authentication sequence that is different from their regular authentication sequence. When this alternative sequence is entered, the computing device may alter its functionality, such as by limiting functionality and displayed information (bank account information, sensitive information, etc.), or the computing device may contact a pre-identified emergency contact (such as the police or a trusted contact). The contact may be via email, phone, text message, etc.

[0036] The authentication process as previously described can be used for identification and / or authentication for the operation of a computing device or for services executed on a computing device. For example, the identification and authentication process described herein is suitable for authenticating a user to a website, application, etc.

[0037] Having a known calibration profile is useful but not necessary for the login process. Without loading a calibration profile, it is possible to compare gaze patterns between several different static objects and / or one or more moving objects to match the gaze pattern to a known layout of the imagery. In some embodiments, the gaze pattern can be used simultaneously to create a calibration for the device.

[0038] In some embodiments, the system may include an eye tracking device with multiple illumination sources. The system may operate the eye tracking device so that images are captured when different illumination sources are activated, which will produce changes in shadows in the captured images. The shadow images may be used to model the user's face for more accurate facial recognition. An additional benefit of this embodiment is that it may be difficult to forge a real person using a flat image such as a printed image, because the shadows on such a printed image will not change based on the changing illumination source.

[0039] In some embodiments, three-dimensional head pose information can be captured by an image sensor. Such head pose information can be modified over a series of images and can be used to ensure that a live person is captured by the image sensor and can be used by a facial recognition algorithm.

[0040] In some embodiments, the eye tracking device in the system may include two or more image sensors. By capturing images using two or more image sensors, a distance map may be created as will be understood by those skilled in the art. The distance map may be used to identify a user and may be unique to the user, making it more difficult to fake the user's presence in a captured image.

[0041] Alternatively, by using two or more image sensors to capture images, images from two or several (possibly known) viewpoints can be used without creating a distance map by ensuring that a person is imaged from multiple angles at a single point in time and matching these images with a pre-recorded model representing certain aspects of the person's face and / or at least one eye, thereby making it more difficult to forge the presence of a user in a captured image. As another improvement, once a user has been authenticated and logged into the system, the device can periodically perform a process to ensure that the user of the system is still the same user that was previously authenticated. This process can include any of the contents described herein so that the user in a captured image or a series of captured images is compared with the identity of an authenticated user. If the system detects that the user of the device is not the authenticated user, the system can perform one or more of the following actions: notify the user, close the application on the device, remove items from the display on the device, log out of the device, shut down the device, and / or send a notification message to another system or individual.

[0042] In some embodiments, any of the systems and methods described herein may be used to log into a specific application or program rather than a device. For example, in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), users spend a lot of time and energy to increase the capabilities and characteristics of computer / virtual characters by playing. The present invention may be used to authenticate the owner or authorized operator of a character in an MMORPG. Of course, embodiments of the present invention may be suitable for any form of game or any other software.

[0043] Embodiments of the present invention may be suitable for use in any system that requires user identification and authentication that the user is an authorized user of the system. Examples of such systems include, but are not limited to, computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, traditional landline phones, vehicles, machinery, secured entryways, virtual reality headsets, and augmented reality headsets.

[0044] In some embodiments of the present invention, the authentication process may be performed in a virtual reality or augmented reality environment. In this environment, it is possible to present objects to the user via a headset or the like and in a two-dimensional or simulated three-dimensional format. The user may then perform a login process by gazing at static or moving objects in the environment (e.g., in two-dimensional or simulated three-dimensional space). Or further, the user may focus on objects at different depths in the environment. The user may define a sequence or object that the user wishes to gaze at as a unique login sequence. The device may use the sequence to authenticate the user at a later time (in a manner as previously described herein).

[0045] In some embodiments, other modalities may be combined with gaze to allow for the creation of a unique login process. These modalities may include a keyboard, mouse, or touch-based contact (such as a touchpad or touch screen). In addition, these modalities may include 3D gestures, voice, head gestures, or specific mechanical inputs such as buttons. A user may define a process that requires gaze at a specific object on a display or within a virtual reality / augmented reality environment while a separate modality is presented. For example, a user may gaze at an object while speaking a specific passcode and / or performing a specific gesture at the same time.

[0046] In some embodiments, to determine that a user is alive, the system herein can create an event that triggers dilation of one or both of the user's pupils. For example, the display can be switched from very dark to very bright or vice versa, and then the captured images of the user's pupils can be analyzed to determine whether the pupils reacted to the change in light intensity. In addition, the sequence, type, or timing of events can be changed periodically or between sessions to make it more difficult to interpret in the event that someone is trying to deceive / circumvent the system.

[0047] The user's profile, authentication process, identity, etc. may be stored locally on the computing device and encrypted, or it may be stored remotely and transmitted to the local device. The device that captures the user's image (such as a gaze tracking device) must be secure in that workarounds whereby someone could introduce a pre-captured image into the system for authentication are not possible.

[0048] In another embodiment of the present invention, the identification of the user can be combined with other data collected by the computer system. For example, by using an eye tracking device or the like, the system according to the present invention can determine the subject of attention of the user and combine it with the identity of the user. By way of description, the system can operate in the following manner: (a) identify the user according to the present invention, (b) derive and record the subject of attention of the user by examining the user's gaze pattern combined with data reflecting information displayed on the screen while recording the user's gaze pattern, and (c) combine the identity of the user with the subject of attention of the user to define attention data.

[0049] The attention data may be stored locally on the computer system, or remotely on a remote server. The attention data may be combined with attention data of the same or different users to determine a representative view of attention to information.

[0050] For further illustration, this embodiment of the invention will now be described in the context of possible use. A computer system equipped with an eye tracking device allows identification and authentication based on the gaze of a user, as has been previously described. Once the user has been identified and authenticated, the eye tracking device determines the gaze direction of the user in relation to the information displayed on the screen. For example, the information may be an advertisement. The system records elements of the user's gaze relative to the advertisement, including the date and time of the gaze, the duration of the stay, the direction of the eye saccades, the frequency, etc. These elements may be combined with the identity of the user and stored by the system. The storage is either locally on the computer system or transmitted to a remote server via the Internet or the like. This may be repeated many times for the same advertisement in the same location, the same advertisement in different locations, or different advertisements. The information may be in any form that can be displayed by the computer system, not just advertisements, it may include images, text, videos, web pages, etc.

[0051] Once data is collected for at least two information items or from at least two users, the information can be collated to present a representative view. For example, by knowing the identity of the user and associated information such as age, gender, location, etc., the present invention can generate a report such as "Duration of stay for males aged 15-19" for various information. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that by combining the identity of the user with the subject of interest of the user, many combinations of information can be collected, stored, analyzed, and reported.

[0052] In another refinement of the invention, a system according to the invention may utilize an eye or gaze tracking device to identify and / or authenticate a user in order to allow the user to operate a computing device. Once authenticated, the system may continuously monitor the information captured by the gaze tracking device and check the information for the presence of persons other than the authenticated user in front of the computing device. If another person is located in front of the computing device, the system may cause some information to be obscured or not displayed by the computing device. It is not necessary to know the identity of the at least one other person, and the mere fact that the other person exists may be sufficient. In this way, sensitive information such as bank account information may be hidden and protected when more than just the authenticated user is viewing the computing device. The authenticated user may choose to override this functionality through a software overlay, or to identify and authenticate additional persons (one or more) using the present invention or any other known identification and authentication process.

[0053] The present invention may further identify and collect behavioral biometrics including, but not limited to, head movement, blink rate, eye movement such as saccades, eye openness, pupil diameter, eye orientation, and head orientation. This information may be collected during identification and authentication of the user, and may also be collected continuously during the user's use of the computing device. Some or all of this information may be saved in the form of a profile for later user identification and authentication.

[0054] Furthermore, according to the present invention, once a user has been identified and authenticated to a computing device, and the user leaves the computing device, the user may need to be re-authenticated upon returning to the computing device. To accomplish this, a time period may be defined during which re-authentication is not required if the authenticated user returns, but if the time period is exceeded, re-authentication is required. Furthermore, the system may use any of the previously described behavioral biometrics to identify a returning user, and if the system identifies the new user as a different identity than the authenticated user, or an unrecognized identity, a re-authentication process must be followed.

[0055] Relatedly, once a user has been identified and authenticated according to the present invention, and the user has stopped using the computing device for a predetermined period of time, the computing device can enter a "locked" mode. To unlock the computing device, a simplified process such as following a moving object can be used.

[0056] In another refinement of the invention, the system can use information collected by the gaze tracking device to determine the state of the user. For example, the system can determine the brightness level in the user's environment, the brightness level emitted from the display of the computing device, and calculate the expected pupil size of the user. The system can also or alternatively use historical information about the pupil size of a particular user. The system can then determine the user's mental state based on their pupil size. For example, dilated pupils can indicate a state of surprise or excitement, or even the presence of mind-altering substances.

[0057] In some cases, any reference to gaze or eye information in the present invention may be replaced with information about the user's head. For example, although the resolution may not be as high, it may be possible to identify and authenticate a user using only the user's head orientation information. This can be further extended to expressions on the user's face, squinting, blinking, etc.

[0058] Although the present invention is described with reference to a computing device having an eye tracking device including an image sensor, it should be understood that such systems exist in many forms. For example, the eye tracking device may contain all necessary computing capabilities to directly control a display or computing device. For example, the eye tracking device may contain an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that may perform some or all of the necessary algorithmic determinations as required by the present invention.

[0059] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 of one embodiment of the present invention for authenticating a user of a device. As described above, the system may include a first image sensor 110, a second image sensor 120, a determination unit 130, an authentication unit 140, a profile unit 150, and a device 160 (for which the user is being authenticated). Although communication channels between components are shown as lines between various components, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other communication channels between components may exist and are not shown in this particular example.

[0060] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a method 200 of an embodiment of the present invention for authenticating a user of a device. As described above, the method may include, at step 210, capturing (one or more) images with a first image sensor. At step 220, (one or more) images may be captured with a second image sensor. At step 230, information related to the user's eyes may be determined from the (one or more) images. At step 240, it may be determined whether the user is alive based on the previously acquired information and determination. At step 250, also based on the previously acquired information and determination, it may be determined whether to authenticate the user. At step 260, a user profile may be loaded based on the authentication of the user.

[0061] Figure 3 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system 300 in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. The example diagram illustrates a computer system 300 such as may be used in whole, in part, or with various modifications to provide any of the functionality of the systems or apparatuses discussed herein. For example, various functions of an eye tracking device may be controlled by the computer system 300, including, by way of example only, gaze tracking and recognition of facial features, etc.

[0062] The computer system 300 is shown to include hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus 390. The hardware elements may include one or more central processing units 310, one or more input devices 320 (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, etc.), and one or more output devices 330 (e.g., a display device, a printer, etc.). The computer system 300 may also include one or more storage devices 340. By way of example, the storage device(s) 340 may be a disk drive, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device such as a random access memory ("RAM") and / or a read-only memory ("ROM"), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, and / or the like.

[0063] The computer system 300 may additionally include a computer-readable storage medium reader 350, a communication system 360 (eg, a modem, a (wireless or wired) network card, an infrared communication device, a Bluetooth TM Device, cellular communication device, etc.) and working memory 380, which may include RAM and ROM devices as described above. In some embodiments, computer system 300 may also include a processing acceleration unit 370, which may include a digital signal processor, a dedicated processor and / or the like.

[0064] Computer-readable storage media reader 350 may further be connected to computer-readable storage media, which together (and optionally, in conjunction with storage device(s) 340) comprehensively represent remote, local, fixed and / or removable storage devices plus storage media for temporarily and / or more permanently containing computer-readable information. Communication system 360 may allow data to be exchanged with the networks, systems, computers and / or other components described above.

[0065] The computer system 300 may also include software elements, shown as currently being located in the working memory 380, including an operating system 384 and / or other code 388. It should be appreciated that alternative embodiments of the computer system 300 may have numerous variations different from the above-described computer system. For example, custom hardware may also be used and / or specific elements may be implemented with hardware, software (including portable software, such as small applications), or both. In addition, connections to other computing devices (such as network input / output and data acquisition devices) may also occur.

[0066] The software of computer system 300 may include code 388 for implementing any or all of the functionality of the various elements of the architecture as described herein. For example, software stored on and / or executed by a computer system such as system 300 may provide the functionality of an eye tracking device and / or other components of the invention such as those discussed above. Methods that may be implemented by software on some of these components have been discussed in more detail above.

[0067] The invention has now been described in detail for purposes of clarity and understanding. It will be appreciated, however, that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An eye tracking system for authenticating a user of a device, the system comprising: a first image sensor for capturing at least one image of at least a portion of a user; an infrared light source for directing infrared light toward at least a portion of a user; a determination unit for determining whether the user is alive based on the presence of reflection of infrared light on the user's eyes, The determining unit: determining the presence of a pupil in a first image captured by the first image sensor and in a second image captured by the first image sensor, wherein the first image is captured while a first illuminator coaxial with the first image sensor is activated and the second image is captured while a second illuminator coaxial with the first image sensor is activated; as well as The first image captured by the first image sensor is compared to the second image captured by the first image sensor.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit further includes information related to the eyes of the user, and the system further includes an authentication unit for authenticating the identity of the user based on the information collected by the determination unit.

3. The system according to claim 2 further comprises a profile unit, the profile unit being used to load an eye tracking calibration profile of the user, the eye tracking calibration profile storing an offset value. 4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the determining unit determines the gaze direction of the user using a series of images captured by the first image sensor. 5 . The system according to claim 3 , wherein the offset value refers to a value representing a difference between the determined gaze direction of the user and the actual gaze direction of the user. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the determining unit determines head posture information of the user.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second image sensor for capturing at least one image of at least a portion of the user. 8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the determination unit compares a first image captured by the first image sensor with a second image captured by the second image sensor.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the eye tracking profile is part of a user profile that, when activated, affects the behavior of a computer application running on the computer.

10. A method for authenticating a user of a device, the method comprising: directing infrared light toward at least a portion of the user; capturing at least one image of at least a portion of the user with a first image sensor; as well as determining whether the user is alive based on the presence of reflections of infrared light on the user's eyes in the captured image, wherein the method further comprises determining the presence of a pupil in a first image captured by the first image sensor and in a second image captured by the first image sensor, wherein the first image is captured while a first illuminator coaxial with the first image sensor is activated and the second image is captured while a second illuminator not coaxial with the first image sensor is activated; and The first image captured by the first image sensor is compared to the second image captured by the first image sensor. 11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises determining information related to eyes of the user, and authenticating the identity of the user based on the information collected by the determination unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises loading an eye tracking calibration profile of the user, the eye tracking calibration profile storing an offset value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises determining a gaze direction of the user using a series of images captured by the first image sensor.

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the offset value is a value representing a difference between the determined gaze direction of the user and an actual gaze direction of the user. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises determining head posture information of the user.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises capturing a second image of at least a portion of the user using a second image sensor. 17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the method further comprises comparing a first image captured by the first image sensor with a second image captured by the second image sensor.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises using the user profile to influence the behavior of a computer application running on a computer.

Images