Study participant in front of Tobii Pro Spectrum — four stimuli on the screen in a dark laboratory

Tobii Pro Spectrum — Eye tracker for research on eye movement dynamics

A device mounted below the monitor that tracks the participant’s eyes with cameras and records — up to 1,200 times per second — where they look on the screen, how the eye moves and how the pupil changes. For laboratories that study not only what we look at, but also how fast and how precisely the eye works.

1200Hzsampling rate
0.01°RMSprecision, filtered, head supported
< 2mslatency at 1200 Hz
50µsTTL markers
What is Tobii Pro Spectrum

A complete eye movement research station

Spectrum is a stationary laboratory eye tracker. The package includes the eye tracker unit mounted below the monitor on which you present stimuli — images, text or video. The participant sits in front of the screen, and the eye tracker measures where and how they look. A single Ethernet cable runs to the computer with the software.

Tobii Pro Spectrum — EIZO monitor on a stand, with the elongated eye tracker unit with cameras below the screen
  1. EIZO 23.8″ monitorFull HD (1920 × 1080). The participant views the stimuli on it. Included in the package.
  2. Eye tracker unitTwo cameras and infrared illumination. The eye images are processed in the device itself — the computer receives ready-to-use data.
  3. StandThe monitor and eye tracker sit on the desk as a single station. The participant sits 55–75 cm from the screen.
In the box

eye tracker unit · EIZO 23.8″ monitor · 24 V power supply and Ethernet cable · quick start guide · Tobii Pro SDK and Eye Tracker Manager licenses

You will also need

a computer running Windows, macOS or Linux; for studies without programming — a Tobii Pro Lab license (sold separately)

up to 1200 Hzhardware versions 300, 600 and 1200 Hz
no chinrestthe participant can move their head freely
< 2 msdata latency at 1200 Hz
8-bit TTLinput for synchronization with EEG and other devices
Eye tracking in three steps

How Spectrum sees where you look

An eye tracker is a device that measures eye movements. Spectrum sits below the monitor: the participant views images, text or video, and the device records which point on the screen they are looking at at every moment and how their eye moves.

Near-infrared image of an eye taken by a Tobii eye tracker camera — a dark pupil and a bright corneal reflection are visible
Camera image
Data stream

What each sample contains

Each eye image becomes one row of data. At 1200 Hz, 1,200 such rows are produced per second — here we show them in slow motion.

Timesample timestamp, every 0.83 ms
Gaze pointwhere on the screen the participant is looking (px)
Pupil L · Rdiameter in mm; its changes are linked to, among others, cognitive effort
Eye openness L · Rin mm — allows blink detection
3D eye positioneye position relative to the eye tracker (mm)

Illustrative values generated in the browser — not a recording from the device. Yellow gaze point: the eye is in a saccade. From such rows the software identifies fixations and saccades.

Eye image: Tobii; method description based on the manufacturer’s article “How do eye trackers work?”. Data content: Tobii Pro Spectrum specifications.

Two cameras · 3D eye model

The participant can move

Two synchronized cameras see each eye from two sides, and a 3D eye model calculates gaze, pupil diameter and the eye’s position in space. In many research paradigms a chinrest is not needed.

Study participant sitting comfortably in front of the monitor with Tobii Pro Spectrum, without a chinrest; a researcher at a laptop in the background
Tracking active
two cameras · 3D eye model
34 × 26 cmhead movement box at 65 cm (42 × 26 cm at 75 cm)
55–75 cmoperating distance from the eye tracker
1 frametracking recovery after a blink
< 150 mstracking recovery after gaze loss

The box and camera rays on the photo are illustrative — not to scale.

On-device processing

A stimulus that follows the gaze

The camera images are processed in the eye tracker itself — ready-to-use gaze data reaches the computer over a single Ethernet cable. Average latency below 2 ms lets you change the stimulus depending on where the participant is looking (gaze-contingent paradigms).

Researcher analyzing a gaze heat map on a landscape photo in Tobii Pro Lab, shown on the Tobii Pro Spectrum monitor
< 2 ms
average latency at 1200 Hz
0 ms12345 ms
< 2 ms average (SD < 0.2 ms) at 1200 Hz5 ms — example threshold from the manufacturer’s documentation for gaze-contingent studies

The gaze-following window on the photo illustrates a gaze-contingent paradigm. According to the manufacturer, the latency value requires firmware 2.2.3 and Tobii Pro SDK 1.9 or later.

Software · Tobii Pro Lab

The whole study in one application

The eye tracker delivers the data, and the software turns it into results. Tobii Pro Lab guides you through every stage of a study: design, recording, visualization and metrics. The eye tracker and the software come from the same manufacturer. If you prefer to write your own experiments, use the free Tobii Pro SDK.

Tobii Pro Lab, Design module: study timeline with trial blocks and a conditions table, shown on a monitor Participant during a study in front of Tobii Pro Spectrum — four product images on the screen Researcher analyzing a gaze plot on a coastline photo in Tobii Pro Lab, with the recordings timeline Tobii Pro Lab, Analyze module: fixation duration chart for three stimulus categories

Build the study on a timeline — no programming

Set stimuli, order and conditions in the Design module.

  • images, audio, video and text — also several media on one screen
  • randomization and trial blocks; large projects from a spreadsheet
  • advance on time, key press, mouse click or gaze

Recording synchronized with stimuli

Pro Lab controls the eye tracker and stimulus presentation in one application.

  • calibration; dedicated modes for infants and primates
  • live gaze view for the experimenter (with two monitors)
  • EEG, GSR, ECG and fNIRS in one workflow; TTL markers

See where and how participants looked

Results appear directly on the stimulus — for one person or the whole group.

  • heat maps — static and on video
  • gaze plots with fixation order
  • areas of interest (AOIs), including automatically tracked AOIs on video

Ready-made metrics for statistics

Fixations are classified by the I-VT filter; from them Pro Lab calculates metrics for AOIs and time intervals.

  • time to first fixation, fixation count and duration, AOI visits
  • saccades: amplitude, peak velocity, latency; blinks
  • export of metrics or raw data to TSV files — then e.g. R or SPSS
Pro Lab license: perpetual or subscription; sold separatelyEditions: incl. Screen-Based and FullIntegration: E-Prime (External Presenter)More about Tobii Pro Lab
Laptop with source code in a development environment — Tobii Pro SDK

Tobii Pro SDK — free, included

For your own experiments and applications. Provides access to the gaze point, 3D eye position, pupil diameter and eye images. Each sample has two timestamps — from the eye tracker and from the computer.

PythonMATLAB / Octave.NETCUnityWindows · macOS · Linux

Tobii Pro Eye Tracker Manager — free, included

Setting up the station before a study:

  • eye tracker and display area configuration
  • participant calibration
  • preview of whether the eyes are tracked

Not sure which software to choose? Describe your study.

Why Spectrum from Interlab

A dedicated eye tracker, not a platform add-on

Subscription-based multimodal platforms, to which you connect an eye tracker from another manufacturer, are popular on the market. Spectrum takes a different approach: an eye tracker up to 1200 Hz with software written for eye tracking, while the other signals — ECG, GSR, EEG and more — we combine into one laboratory with a BIOPAC system.

Tobii Pro Spectrum from Interlab vs. a subscription platform with competing hardware
FeatureTobii Pro Spectrum from InterlabSubscription platform + competing hardware
Sampling frequencyup to 1200 Hz60–200 Hz
Freedom of head movement34 × 26 cm at 65 cm, no chinrestat 200 Hz: 9 × 4 cm
Hardware synchronization8-bit TTL input on the eye tracker, marker accurate to 50 µsdepends on the eye tracker model
Eye movement analysisTobii Pro Lab — software dedicated to eye tracking: saccade amplitude, peak velocity and latency, heat maps, AOIsgeneral platform; according to its vendor, eye tracking capabilities depend on the connected hardware
LicenseSDK and Eye Tracker Manager free; Pro Lab — perpetual license or subscriptionmandatory core module + separately paid eye tracking module; annual renewal
PhysiologyBIOPAC MP200 with AcqKnowledge 6 — native support for Tobii eye trackersadditional paid platform modules

Competing hardware: screen-based eye trackers supported by a popular multimodal platform. Data from the manufacturers’ websites, as of 2026-10.

Different research, different hardware

Competing high-frequency systems are designed mainly for setups with the head immobilized. Spectrum was built for studies in which the participant sits naturally.

Tobii Pro Spectrum

  • psychology, neuroscience and behavioral research without a chinrest
  • children and infants, patients, people wearing an EEG cap
  • multimodal laboratories: eye tracking + EEG, GSR, ECG
  • design, recording and analysis in one application

Competing systems with a chinrest

  • fMRI and MEG scanners
  • primate neurophysiology
  • studies with the head fixed on a chinrest
What you get from Interlab

Spectrum with implementation, not just delivery

We advise before the purchase, set up the station and stay with your team after the purchase.

  • Multimodal laboratoryTobii and BIOPAC from one supplier — configured and synchronized by us.
  • Authorized Tobii partner in PolandOfficial sales channel: manufacturer warranty, updates and Tobii Pro Lab licenses.
  • Methodological adviceWe help you plan the study: sampling rate, paradigm and metrics — before you buy anything.
  • Grant supportTechnical descriptions, justifications and configurations for grant applications and tender specifications.
  • Test before you buyA demo or a trial loan — test Spectrum with your own paradigm.
  • Installation and trainingWe install the station in your laboratory and train your team to work in Tobii Pro Lab.
  • Local support in PolandTechnical and methodological support after the purchase — no intermediaries.
  • References in PolandInstallations at Polish universities and companies — contact with reference laboratories on request.
Multimodal research · Spectrum + BIOPAC

Gaze, EEG, physiology and stimulus on one timeline

Research often combines eye tracking with other measures: EEG (brain activity), GSR (emotional arousal) or ECG. For the data to be aligned, every event — e.g. stimulus onset — must be marked at the same moment in all recordings. We supply both Tobii and BIOPAC and combine them into one station at your site — not only via TTL.

Participant wearing an EEG cap in front of the monitor with Tobii Pro Spectrum; an EEG amplifier next to them
GAZE1200 Hz EEG EDA / GSRBIOPAC TTLstimulus

In the Spectrum eye tracker

8-bitTTL input (DB-9 connector), 256 event codes
50 µsTTL event timestamp accuracy
100 µseye tracker to computer clock synchronization
EEG · GSR · fMRIintegrations listed by Tobii

In a laboratory with BIOPAC MP200

Gaze, pupil and physiology in one recording — in AcqKnowledge 6 or in Tobii Pro Lab.

  • Native integration: AcqKnowledge 6 supports Tobii eye trackers — gaze data goes into the same recording as the physiological signals (Eye Tracking license, Windows).
  • MP200: 16 analog channels up to 100 kHz per channel, 16 digital TTL lines — event markers to the Spectrum TTL input and back.
  • Lab Streaming Layer: receiving further devices, e.g. EEG, via the LSL license in AcqKnowledge.
  • Signals: ECG, EDA, EMG, EEG, EOG, respiration, temperature, blood pressure, PPG, SpO₂ — also wireless (BioNomadix).
  • Stimuli and facial expressions: stimulus presentation in AcqKnowledge, E-Prime, integration with FaceReader.

The signal traces on the photo are illustrative, not a recording from the device. BIOPAC data: biopac.com (AcqKnowledge — new features, MP200 data sheet).

Sampling up to 1200 Hz

Timing in eye movement

An eye tracker does not film the eye continuously — it takes a series of images, i.e. samples. The more samples per second, the more accurately you see fast eye movements: the saccade profile, its peak velocity and microsaccades. Scroll to see the difference.

01 · Recording

Each circle is a fixation

On the screen: a gaze recording of a person reading text. A circle is a place where the eye stopped; the line between circles is a saccade — a fast jump to the next word.

02 · Close-up

One saccade in slow motion

We break down one jump between words on a chart: how fast the eye moves in successive milliseconds. The dashed line is the actual movement, which the eye tracker does not see directly — it only knows its samples.

03 · Sampling

60 Hz — a sample every 16.7 ms

A few points for the whole saccade. The velocity peak is missed, and the microsaccade is not visible at all.

04 · Tobii Pro Spectrum

Up to 1,200 samples per second

The gray line is the same movement recorded at 60 Hz. At 1200 Hz the samples form the full saccade profile — with its velocity peak and the microsaccade before the jump.

Tobii Pro Spectrum with monitor — the screen shows a visualization of fixations during text reading

Illustrative chart: the saccade and microsaccade profile is a model, not a recording from the device. 250 Hz is shown for comparison — Spectrum offers 60, 120, 150, 300, 600 and 1200 Hz.

Hardware versions 300 · 600 · 1200 Hz

What you can measure at each sampling rate

The hardware versions differ in maximum sampling frequency; in a study you choose any frequency up to the maximum of your version. Select a version to see which analyses it covers.

Sampling rate vs. type of analysis

60 Hz
fixations only
16.7 ms
120 Hz
+ basic saccade detection
8.3 ms
300 Hz
+ saccade dynamics and latency measurement
3.3 ms
600 Hz
+ microsaccades and smooth pursuit
1.7 ms
1200 Hz
+ tremor, full microsaccade dynamics, peak velocity
0.83 ms

Based on the manufacturer’s graphic “Why sampling rate matters” (tobii.com). Spectrum also offers 150 Hz.

Not sure which version you need? Describe your study design — we will match the configuration.

Applications according to the manufacturer

Where Spectrum is used

For each field, the specification that usually decides the choice.

Participant wearing an EEG headband in front of Tobii Pro Spectrum50 µs

Psychology and neuroscience

Eye movements aligned with EEG and behavioral responses — event markers from the TTL input with 50 µs accuracy.

Fixations during text reading on the Tobii Pro Spectrum screen0.83 ms

Reading and language

The course of saccades and fixations during reading with temporal resolution down to 0.83 ms.

Child’s hands assembling a puzzleauto bright / dark pupil

Developmental psychology

Automatic selection of bright or dark pupil mode for the participant’s eyes and lighting; participant setup usually under a minute.

Researcher analyzing brain images on monitors in a clinical laboratory0.01° RMS

Medical research

Searching for biomarkers of brain function disorders — precision 0.01° RMS (filtered data, head supported).

Chimpanzee on ropes4 tracking modes

Primates

Dedicated tracking modes: human, great apes, monkeys and small monkeys.

Participant with a GSR sensor on the hand in front of Tobii Pro Spectrum; a photo of a snake on the screenTTL 8 bit

Emotion and arousal research

Gaze and pupil together with electrodermal response (GSR) — stimulus events marked on a common timeline.

The manufacturer also lists ophthalmic studies that require freedom of head movement, and tests in which latency must be shorter than 5 ms.

Specifications

Technical specifications

Based on the manufacturer’s current specifications. Accuracy and precision are given separately for supported and free head — the way Tobii measures them.

Tobii Pro Spectrum — eye tracker unit with monitor on a stand
Tobii Pro Spectrum technical specifications
SpecificationValue
Sampling and latency
Sampling frequencies60, 120, 150, 300, 600 or 1200 Hzmaximum depends on hardware version: 300, 600 or 1200 Hz
Eye tracker latencyaverage < 2 ms at 1200 Hz (SD < 0.2 ms)firmware 2.2.3 and Tobii Pro SDK 1.9 or later
Tracking recoveryafter a blink: 1 frame; after gaze loss: < 150 ms
Data quality
Accuracy — head supportedfrom 0.16°; median 0.30° (P25 0.24° – P75 0.41°)
Accuracy — free headfrom 0.17°; median 0.43° (P25 0.32° – P75 0.59°)
Precision — head supported0.01° RMS (Savitzky-Golay filter) · 0.06° RMS (raw signal)under optimal conditions
Precision — free head0.02° RMS (Savitzky-Golay filter) · 0.08° RMS (raw signal)under optimal conditions
Participant
Head movement box34 × 26 cm at 65 cm · 42 × 26 cm at 75 cm
Operating distance55–75 cm from the eye tracker
Optimal screen sizeup to 24″ (16:9)
Calibrationbinocular or monocular; usually under 30 sparticipant setup usually < 1 min
Tracking modeshuman, great apes, monkeys, small monkeys
Data and synchronization
Data outputtimestamp, eye position, gaze point, pupil diameter; eye openness (mm, separately for each eye)eye images approx. 10 Hz
TTL input8-bit, DB-9 connector, 256 event codes; marker accuracy 50 µs
Synchronization with the computer100 µs accuracy (eye tracker ↔ computer time domain)
Device
Dimensions and weight55 × 18 × 6 cm (on the stand +9 cm); 5.1 kg (with power supply 5.7 kg)
ConnectorsEthernet (RJ-45), TTL input (DB-9), 24 V DC power
Power consumptiontypically 60 W, max. 96 W
Operating systemsWindows, macOS, Linux
SoftwareTobii Pro Lab, Tobii Pro Eye Tracker Manager, Tobii Pro SDK and applications built on it
In the boxeye tracker unit, EIZO 23.8″ monitor, power and data cables, quick start guideTobii Pro SDK and Eye Tracker Manager licenses included; Tobii Pro Lab license sold separately

Spectrum within the Tobii Pro family

Comparison based on the manufacturer’s data. The choice depends on whether you analyze fixations or eye movement dynamics.

Comparison of Tobii Pro Spectrum, Fusion and Spark
SpecificationPro SpectrumPro FusionPro Spark
Intended usemicrosaccades, tremor, saccade dynamics, multimodal researchsaccade analysis, reading, portable laboratoryfixation-based research, UX, teaching
Max. sampling rate1200 Hz250 Hz60 Hz
Precision (filtered)0.01° RMS0.04° RMS0.26° RMS
Camerastwotwoone
Hardware TTL synchronizationyes — 8-bit, 50 µsnono
Form factorunit with monitor, 5.1 kgportable bar, 168 gportable bar, 97 g

Source: tobii.com, Tobii Pro Spectrum product page (as of 2026-10). Older manufacturer documents give different accuracy values — they result from a different measurement methodology.

Frequently asked questions

Is a chinrest needed for studies?

In many paradigms, no — the head movement box is 34 × 26 cm at 65 cm. A chinrest does, however, improve data quality: filtered precision is 0.01° RMS with the head supported and 0.02° RMS with free head, and median accuracy is 0.30° and 0.43° respectively.

How do I connect Spectrum with EEG or GSR?

In hardware: via the TTL input (8-bit, DB-9, 256 event codes) — a timestamp accurate to 50 µs goes into the eye tracker data stream. In software: via Tobii Pro SDK, which synchronizes the eye tracker clock with the computer clock to 100 µs accuracy.

Which accuracy value should I report in a publication?

The manufacturer gives separate values for supported and free head, and for raw and filtered data. In your publication, report the variant that matches your protocol. Older Tobii documents (e.g. Product Description 2.0.3) describe a different measurement methodology, and their values should not be mixed with the current ones.

What software do I need?

Tobii Pro Lab for study design, recording and analysis (license sold separately) or Tobii Pro SDK for your own applications — the SDK and Tobii Pro Eye Tracker Manager are free and included. Spectrum works with Windows, macOS and Linux.

What is in the box?

The eye tracker unit on a stand, an EIZO 23.8″ monitor, power and data cables (24 V power supply, Ethernet cable) and a quick start guide.

Can the 300 or 600 Hz version be upgraded later?

The manufacturer’s documentation provides for upgrading lower versions to a faster one. We will confirm current terms and cost in a quote — ask us.

Download materials click to expand

Interested in this product?

Contact us for a detailed quote and technical advice.

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Product: Tobii Pro Spectrum