Tobii Pro Spark — Compact eye tracker for visual attention research

A lightweight bar you attach below a monitor or laptop screen. It tracks the participant's eyes and records where they look 60 times per second — the basis for heat maps, gaze paths and attention metrics. For UX, marketing and education research, and for labs getting started with eye tracking.

60Hzsampling rate
97g28.5 cm bar
≤ 27″screen or laptop
< 1minparticipant setup
A study participant playing a game in front of a monitor with a Tobii Pro Spark bar mounted below it
How an eye tracker works

From sixty images per second to a map of attention

An eye tracker is a device that measures where a person is looking. Spark is a bar below the screen: the participant views a website, an ad or a task, and the bar records successive gaze points. From these points the software builds fixations and the gaze path — see what this looks like on a website.

A laptop showing a university website, with a Tobii Pro Spark bar mounted below the screen
0 samples0.00 s of recording at 60 Hz

Illustrative only — the points are generated by the browser, not recorded by the device. Sample interval at 60 Hz: 16.7 ms. Photo: Tobii.

  1. Illuminates and images the eyesInfrared diodes — light invisible to the human eye — illuminate the eyes, and a single camera in the bar captures an image of both eyes 60 times per second, i.e. every 16.7 ms.
  2. Computes in the bar, not the computerThe Tobii EyeChip inside Spark calculates the gaze point, the position of the eyes in space and the pupil diameter from every image. It does not use a webcam and does not load the computer's CPU.
  3. Builds fixationsA fixation is a moment when the eye pauses at one location and takes in information. Successive samples from the same location form a fixation, and the jumps between them form the gaze path. According to Tobii, 60 Hz is the resolution that fixation-based research requires.
timestampTimestampwhen the sample was taken — the eye tracker clock synchronized with the computer
gaze pointGaze pointthe location on screen the participant is looking at — separately for the left and right eye
gaze origin3D eye positionwhere the eyes are relative to the bar — shows whether the participant has moved away
pupil diameterPupil diameterin millimeters, for each eye; export the data to R, Python, MATLAB, SPSS or Excel
Software · Tobii Pro Lab

From study idea to heat map

Spark delivers the data, and Tobii Pro Lab turns it into results — in one program you design the study, record participants, review visualizations and calculate metrics. The eye tracker and the software come from the same manufacturer. For Spark, the Screen-Based edition is sufficient — the basic version of Pro Lab for screen-based research.

Tobii Pro Lab, Design module: study outline with trial blocks and a stimulus list1 · Design

Studies without programming

  • images, video, audio and text — including several media on one screen
  • websites and screen recordings as stimuli
  • randomization; advance on time, key press, click or gaze
A laptop running Tobii Pro Lab with a Tobii Pro Spark bar below the screen2 · Record

Calibration and recording

  • participant calibration and recording synchronized with the stimuli
  • screen-based and scene camera projects — e.g. a phone test with the mobile accessory
  • monitor or laptop — the same software
Gaze heat map on cereal packaging in Tobii Pro Lab3 · Visualize

Where participants looked

  • heat maps — where the group's attention was focused
  • gaze plots with the order of fixations
  • areas of interest (AOI): logo, price, button
Chart of fixation metrics for three conditions in Tobii Pro Lab on a monitor with a Tobii Pro Spark bar4 · Measure

Numbers for reports and statistics

  • fixation and AOI metrics, e.g. time to first fixation, fixation count and duration
  • export of ready-made metrics or raw data
  • further analysis in R, Python, MATLAB, SPSS or Excel

Starter Kit — hardware and software in one bundle

The manufacturer's bundle for getting started with eye tracking, priced lower than buying the items separately.

  • Tobii Pro Spark
  • one-year Tobii Pro Lab Screen-Based subscription
  • access to Tobii Connect and Tobii Academy — the manufacturer's training materials

Pro Lab license

Perpetual or subscription; for screen-based eye trackers, the Screen-Based or Full edition. The same program supports Tobii Pro Fusion and Spectrum — when the lab expands, projects and team experience carry over.

Screen-BasedFullperpetualsubscription
Source code on a monitor with a Tobii Pro Spark bar

Tobii Pro SDK i Eye Tracker Manager

Free and included. SDK — for your own experiments and applications; Eye Tracker Manager — display setup and calibration.

PythonMATLAB / Octave.NETCUnityWindows · macOS · Linux
Why Spark from Interlab

Eye tracker and software from one manufacturer — implementation from us

A popular route into eye tracking is a subscription-based multimodal platform with an eye tracker from another manufacturer connected to it. Spark is a different approach: a Tobii eye tracker with software built for eye tracking, and physiological signals — when you need them — added from a BIOPAC system.

Tobii Pro Spark from Interlab vs. a subscription platform with competing hardware
FeatureTobii Pro Spark from InterlabSubscription platform + competing hardware
Screen sizeup to 27″ (16:9) — monitor or laptop screenup to 24″
Operating distance45–95 cm from the eye trackere.g. 50–80 cm
Accuracy0.45° under optimal conditionse.g. 0.5–1°
SoftwareTobii Pro Lab — design, recording, heat maps, AOIs and metrics in software dedicated to eye trackinggeneral-purpose platform; according to its vendor, eye tracking capabilities depend on the connected hardware
Starting licenseStarter Kit: Spark + one-year Pro Lab subscription at a reduced price; Pro Lab also as a perpetual license; SDK freemandatory core module + separately paid eye tracking module; renewal every year
PhysiologyBIOPAC AcqKnowledge — bundle with Spark and an eye tracking integration licenseadditional paid platform modules

Competing hardware: 60 Hz screen-based eye trackers supported by a popular multimodal platform; values according to its vendor's website, as of 2026-10.

A class in a lab with several computer workstations; the instructor at the board
What you get from Interlab

Spark with implementation — from your first study to classes with students

We help you choose the setup, install it and train your team.

  • Try before you buyA demo or a trial loan — test Spark on your own study.
  • Methodological adviceWe will tell you plainly whether 60 Hz is enough for your research question — before you buy anything.
  • Implementation and trainingWe set up the workstation and train your team and course instructors in Tobii Pro Lab.
  • Multimodal labTobii and BIOPAC from one supplier — configured together.
  • Grant supportTechnical descriptions and configurations for grant applications and tender specifications.
  • Authorized Tobii partner in PolandManufacturer warranty, updates and Tobii Pro Lab licenses.
  • Local support in PolandTechnical and methodological support after purchase — no intermediaries.
  • References in PolandInstallations at universities and companies — contacts at reference labs on request.
Multimodal research · Spark + BIOPAC

What they looked at — and how the body responded

Eye tracking shows what the participant looked at. Physiological signals — e.g. skin conductance (EDA, an indicator of arousal) or heart activity (ECG) — show how the body responded at the same moment. BIOPAC offers a ready-made bundle with Tobii Pro Spark: gaze goes into the same AcqKnowledge recording as the physiological signals.

Two researchers in front of a monitor showing the Ponzo illusion — two blue lines against railway tracks
GAZESpark 60 Hz PUPILSpark EDABIOPAC ECGBIOPAC

BIOPAC bundle with Tobii Pro Spark

  • Hardware: Tobii Pro Spark 60 Hz eye tracker, mounting brackets and a flexible mount for curved screens.
  • AcqKnowledge licenses: Eye Tracking (eye tracker integration) and Stimulus Presentation.
  • Two modes of use: Spark in AcqKnowledge together with physiology, or standalone with Tobii Pro Lab.
  • Operating system: Tobii eye tracker integration in AcqKnowledge runs on Windows.

A lab with BIOPAC MP200

  • MP200: 16 analog channels at up to 100 kHz per channel and 16 digital lines.
  • Signals: ECG, EDA, EMG, EEG, EOG, respiration, skin temperature, blood pressure, PPG — also wireless (BioNomadix).
  • Lab Streaming Layer: receive data from additional devices via the LSL license in AcqKnowledge.
  • Tobii Pro Lab also supports workflows with EEG, GSR, ECG and fNIRS.

Signal traces and gaze movement on the photo are illustrative. BIOPAC data: biopac.com (EYE-TRACK-SP60 bundle, AcqKnowledge — new features, MP200 data sheet). Photo: Tobii.

Mounting and setup

Fits in your laptop bag

Spark weighs 97 grams and is 28.5 cm long. You attach it below the screen, connect it with a single USB cable — the same one that powers it — and shortly afterwards you are testing your first participant. This makes it easy to move the setup between rooms or take it to a client.

Spark at 1:1 scale

A life-size photo of the bar. To make the size accurate on your screen, hold a payment card against the frame below and adjust the slider.

Tobii Pro Spark bar seen from the front: camera in the middle and illumination modules at the ends
28.5 cm
payment card
85.6 × 54 mm
28.5 × 1.5 × 2.2 cmlength × height × width
97 gmagnetic mounting below the screen
1 USB cablepower and data; 80 cm, USB-C adapter included
< 2 Wtypical power consumption — a laptop port is enough
A study participant in front of a monitor with calibration points, next to the researcher
Magnetic mount
65–80 cmthe participant sits naturally and can move — no chin rest
35 × 35 cmhead movement box at this distance (at 50 cm: 20 × 20 cm)
glasses and lensestracking regardless of age, ethnicity and vision correction — including children and older adults
bright and dark pupiltwo eye illumination modes — data in the lab, office, classroom and even at a museum exhibit

Included: eye tracker with magnetic mount, USB-A cable (80 cm), USB-C adapter, protective case, quick start guide; Tobii Pro SDK and Eye Tracker Manager licenses. Tobii Pro Lab license sold separately or in the Starter Kit.

Choosing a model

Is Spark right for your study?

Spark is built for fixation-based research — what we look at and for how long. For analyzing the course of fast eye movements themselves, Tobii has faster models. Choose a type of study and we will tell you which eye tracker fits.

What do you want to study?

Answers based on the manufacturer's application descriptions.

Sparkpasuje

Usability testing of websites, online stores and apps

According to Tobii, UX research is one of Spark's main applications. In Pro Lab a website or screen recording is the stimulus, and the results are heat maps, gaze paths and metrics for areas such as a menu or a buy button. The bar also works on a laptop screen.

Sparkpasuje

Packaging, ads, store shelf

Tobii lists packaging research among Spark's applications. Stimuli are viewed on a screen up to 27″, and on a tripod Spark also tracks gaze on larger screens and physical objects.

Sparkpasuje

Teaching lab and educational research

The manufacturer designs Spark for, among other things, classroom research: a lightweight bar, one cable, participant setup usually under a minute, and tolerance of movement, glasses and changing lighting. Several workstations let you run exercises with a whole group.

Sparkfor fixations

Reading and language

When you analyze fixations — which words the reader pauses on, for how long and how many times they go back — Spark is sufficient; reading and language are on its list of applications.

When you need saccade analysis during reading, choose Tobii Pro Fusion (up to 250 Hz).

Spark+ accessory

Smartphone testing

The Mobile Testing Accessory is a phone holder with an arm for Spark and a screen capture device (HD video at 60 fps). It works with most Apple and Android smartphones that support video output via HDMI. In Pro Lab you analyze the recording in a scene camera project.

Spark+ BIOPAC

Eye tracking with physiology

Record gaze together with EDA, ECG or EMG in BIOPAC AcqKnowledge — BIOPAC offers a bundle with Spark and an integration license. See multimodal research.

If your experiment requires event markers fed in hardware directly to the eye tracker (e.g. from EEG), choose Tobii Pro Spectrum with a TTL input.

Fusionor Spectrum

Saccade trajectory and velocity

At 60 Hz a sample is taken every 16.7 ms — according to Tobii, a rate for fixation analysis. For measuring saccade dynamics the manufacturer recommends 300 Hz and above.

Choose Tobii Pro Fusion (up to 250 Hz, saccade analysis) or Tobii Pro Spectrum (up to 1200 Hz).

Spectrumup to 1200 Hz

Microsaccades and tremor

Tobii assigns microsaccades, tremor and full eye movement dynamics to Tobii Pro Spectrum — an eye tracker with up to 1200 Hz.

See Tobii Pro Spectrum.

Sampling rates and application ranges: tobii.com — Tobii Pro Spark pages, eye tracker comparison, the “Why sampling rate matters” graphic.

A participant testing an online store on a phone mounted in the Mobile Testing Accessory with a Tobii Pro Spark bar

Phone · Mobile Testing Accessory

Phone holder, arm, magnetic plate, base, iPhone–HDMI and USB-C–HDMI cables, and a screen capture device.

≤ 27″

Monitor or laptop

Basic configuration: the bar on a magnetic mount below a 16:9 screen, participant 45–95 cm from the eye tracker.

tripod

Larger screens and objects

Mounted on a tripod, Spark tracks gaze on larger screens and on physical objects — e.g. a product or its packaging.

Applications according to the manufacturer

Where Spark is used

Spark has been described in more than 70 scientific publications. It is most often used where visual attention and a simple study setup matter.

A laptop with a website and a Tobii Pro Spark bar below the screen

UX and websites

What users notice and what they skip: menus, forms, the checkout path. A click shows action; gaze shows attention.

A shopper in a store looking at a bottle on the shelf

Packaging

Label, price, standing out on the shelf.

Children reading text on a laptop screen

Reading and language

Fixations on words, regressions in the text.

A teacher and a student at a computer with chemistry material

Educational research

Learning strategies and evaluation of teaching materials.

An aircraft cockpit with instrument displays

Human factors

Human interaction with interfaces and devices.

Gaze path analysis on a mobile store screen in Tobii Pro Lab

Mobile research

Apps and stores on a phone — with the Mobile Testing Accessory and analysis in Pro Lab.

Specification

Technical specifications

According to the manufacturer's current specification. Accuracy and precision refer to optimal conditions.

Tobii Pro Spark — eye tracker bar with USB cable
Tobii Pro Spark technical specifications
ParameterValue
Sampling and data quality
Sampling rate60 Hz (default) or 33 Hz
Accuracy0.45° under optimal conditions
Precision0.26° RMS under optimal conditionswith built-in filtering
Latency and tracking recoverylatency: 1 frame; after a blink: 1 frame; after gaze loss: 50 ms
Techniquepupil center corneal reflection (PCCR) with bright and dark pupil modes; one camera captures both eyes
Participant and setup
Operating distance45–95 cm from the eye tracker (screen-mounted)
Head movement box20 × 20 cm at 50 cm · 35 × 35 cm at 65–80 cmat least one eye tracked
Head movement tolerancegood — single-camera system
Optimal screen sizeup to 27″ (16:9)
Calibrationbinocular; participant setup usually < 1 min
Configurationsmonitor or laptop; tripod — larger screens and physical objects; Mobile Testing Accessory — mobile devices
Data
Data outputtimestamp, 3D eye position, gaze point, pupil diameter; binocular tracking
Time synchronizationintegrated between the eye tracker and computer time domains
Device
Dimensions and weight28.5 × 1.5 × 2.2 cm; 97 g
Connector and powerUSB 2.0 Type-A, 80 cm cable, USB-C adapter included; USB-poweredpower consumption typically < 2 W, max. 6 W
Components1 Tobii EyeSensor camera module; Tobii EyeChip with full on-device data processing; bright and dark pupil illuminators
Operating systemsWindows, macOS, Linux
SoftwareTobii Pro Lab, Tobii Pro Eye Tracker Manager, Tobii Pro SDK and applications built on it
Includedeye tracker with magnetic mount, USB-A cable, USB-C adapter, case, quick start guideTobii Pro SDK and Eye Tracker Manager licenses included; Tobii Pro Lab separately or in the Starter Kit

Spark within the Tobii Pro family

Comparison according to the manufacturer. The choice depends on whether you analyze fixations or eye movement dynamics.

Comparison of Tobii Pro Spark, Fusion and Spectrum
ParameterPro SparkPro FusionPro Spectrum
Intended usefixation-based research, UX, teachingsaccade analysis, reading, portable labmicrosaccades, tremor, saccade dynamics, multimodal research
Max. sampling rate60 Hz250 Hz1200 Hz
Form factor and weightportable bar, 97 gportable bar, 168 gunit with monitor, 5.1 kg
Optimal screenup to 27″up to 24″up to 24″
Operating distance45–95 cm50–80 cm55–75 cm
Camerasonetwotwo
Hardware TTL synchronizationnonoyes — 8-bit, 50 µs

Source: tobii.com — Tobii Pro Spark product page and eye tracker comparison (as of 2026-10).

Frequently asked questions

Is 60 Hz enough for my study?

If you analyze fixations — where, for how long and in what order participants look — yes; according to Tobii this is the appropriate rate for such research (UX, packaging, advertising, education, reading). For measuring saccade and microsaccade dynamics, the manufacturer recommends Tobii Pro Fusion or Spectrum. Describe your study to us — we will advise you before you buy.

Does Spark work with a laptop?

Yes. You attach it below a laptop or monitor screen up to 27″ and connect it with a single USB cable that powers the bar and transfers data; a USB-C adapter is included. Typical power consumption is less than 2 W.

Can participants wear glasses?

Yes — the manufacturer states that Spark tracks eyes regardless of age, ethnicity and vision correction, including glasses and contact lenses. The participant does not need a chin rest; at a distance of 65–80 cm they can move their head within a 35 × 35 cm box.

What software do I need?

Tobii Pro Lab in the Screen-Based or Full edition — for designing, recording and analyzing the study (perpetual license or subscription, purchased separately or in the Starter Kit with a one-year subscription). Tobii Pro SDK and Eye Tracker Manager are free and included with the eye tracker.

Can I test apps on a phone?

Yes, with the Mobile Testing Accessory — a holder that combines the phone, Spark and a screen capture device. The accessory works with most Apple and Android smartphones that support video output via HDMI.

Can I combine Spark with physiological measurements?

Yes — BIOPAC AcqKnowledge integrates Tobii eye trackers, and BIOPAC offers a bundle with Spark and the Eye Tracking and Stimulus Presentation licenses. We supply both systems and configure them together.

Can I try Spark before buying?

Yes — book a demo or a trial loan and test Spark on your own study. Contact 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 Spark