MSc Thesis: Eye tracking in Extended Reality (XR) Training
Göteborg, SE, 417 15
Background
Extended Reality (XR) enables safe, repeatable, and scalable training. In Swedish industry, employees can use XR to practice tasks, safety procedures, and work methods before applying them in live operations. Volvo Group has also begun integrating XR solutions into its training portfolio.
As eye tracking becomes standard in modern XR headsets, gaze data offers new ways to understand how trainees visually navigate a task, what information they notice or overlook, and how their attention changes with experience. Potential applications include XR training design, learner feedback, skills assessment, and usability evaluation. However, it remains unclear which use cases provide meaningful value, which metrics are sufficiently reliable for training, and how closely gaze behavior in VR reflects behavior during the same task in a live setting.
This thesis will investigate the use of eye tracking in XR training at Volvo Group. The work will explore relevant applications and use cases, establish guidance for when and how eye tracking should be implemented in XR training, as well as suggest a strategy for how the technology could be scaled across a portfolio of XR trainings targeting a global user group.
Description and Goal
The goal of the thesis is to create a practical and evidence-based blueprint for the use of eye tracking in XR training at Volvo Group. The blueprint should help XR training developers, learning experience partners, and other L&D stakeholders decide when eye tracking is useful, what data should be collected, how the data should be analyzed and visualized, and how eye tracking can be integrated into their training portfolio. The findings should be tested in a developed proof-of-concept, together with users at Volvo Group.
This means that, initially, the work will encompass:
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Exploration of the state-of-the-art in eye tracking technology for XR
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Exploration of eye tracking use cases in industrial training applications
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Identification of relevant gaze metrics and analysis methods for XR training
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Selection and definition of a suitable Volvo Group training
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Development of a proof-of-concept implementation
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A user study carried out on the proof-of-concept
Building on this foundation, the expected outcomes include:
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A blueprint describing how and when eye tracking should be implemented, including recommended metrics, workflow, technical requirements and decision criteria
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A developed proof-of-concept / demonstrator with eye tracking integrated into a selected VR training application
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A user study comparing eye tracking results in VR training with results from a corresponding live production task
Application-related information
Education background: Computer Science, Industrial Design Engineering, Cognitive Science, Production Engineering or similar.
Subject areas: XR, Eye tracking, Education, UX, human-technology interaction, production
Contract: Paid by Volvo Group
Duration and pace: Spring 2027, full-time, 30 ECTS, starting date is flexible and to be agreed upon
Location: Volvo Group Digital Technology & Operations / Volvo Group University / Chalmers
Number of students: 2 students
Contacts
Volvo Group supervisor and application questions:
Malgorzata Koszalkowska – malgorzata.koszalkowska@volvo.com
Matthew Connors – matthew.connors@volvo.com
Mattias Andersson – Mattias.J.Andersson@volvo.com
Chalmers supervisor and academic questions:
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