OpenEyeSim - A platform for biomechanical modeling of oculomotor control

Abstract

Vision is an active process involving different kinds of eye movements. How are these movements controlled? And how are they learned and calibrated during development? Biomechanical simulations of eye movements can help us to better understand the underlying problems of visual perception and motor control. Here we introduce OpenEyeSim, a detailed three-dimensional biomechanical model of the human extra-ocular eye muscles including a visualization of a virtual environment. The main purpose of OpenEyeSim is to serve as a platform for developing models of the joint learning of visual representations and eye muscle control in the perception-action loop. The architecture and parameters of OpenEyeSim are based on measurements of the human eye and it allows to simulate realistic types of eye movements. We suggest that OpenEyeSim is a useful platform for studying many of the complexities of oculomotor control and learning during normal and abnormal visual development.