Virtual reality game tracks eye movements to spot ADHD

Diagnosing ADHD in kids usually involves piles of questionnaires, hours of interviews, and a lot of subjective observation. It is often exhausting for families, and quiet clinical tests rarely show how a child actually functions in the real world.

Now, Finnish researchers are testing a much more engaging approach: putting children in a VR headset to play everyday games, while tracking their eye movements with machine learning.

Brushing teeth with the TV on

In a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers from Aalto University, the University of Helsinki, and Åbo Akademi University tested 37 children diagnosed with ADHD alongside a control group of 36 children.

The kids played EPELI, a VR game developed with startup Peili Vision, simulating daily tasks like brushing teeth or grabbing a snack. The catch? The virtual apartment was filled with natural distractions, like a blaring TV. The game logged everything from controller clicks to exact gaze trajectories. The children also played a second game, Shoot the Target, where they aimed and shot objects just by looking at them.

Machine learning models quickly picked up on distinct patterns. Doctoral researcher Liya Merzon noted that children with ADHD had gazes that paused longer on certain objects, while also jumping between spots faster and more frequently. The team believes this could point to delays in visual system development and differences in information processing.

From children's clinics to Alzheimer's research

Children simply found the VR tasks far more motivating than traditional paper-and-pencil tests, according to project lead Juha Salmitaival.

The game is already available to neuropsychologists at Helsinki University Hospital. In an initial pilot survey, every participating clinician reported that the VR setup served as a helpful complementary tool. Researchers are also teaming up with the University of Oulu to explore therapeutic game versions, taking inspiration from FDA-approved digital therapeutics in the US.

Looking ahead, the team believes the platform can be adapted for adult ADHD, autism, brain trauma, and speech disorders. Partners in Geneva are even exploring whether similar eye-tracking setups could spot early signs of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Why it matters

ADHD affects roughly 6% of children globally, yet medicine has relied on subjective reports for decades. We think EPELI's cleverest move is embedding diagnostics into naturalistic chaos rather than sterile testing environments. Measuring how an attention system handles a blaring virtual TV tells you vastly more than asking a tired child to tap a button in an empty office.

That said, don't expect headsets to replace pediatricians tomorrow. The study only examined 73 children, meaning clinical adoption will require much larger validation trials across diverse demographics. Hardware friction and eye-tracker calibration in young children also remain practical hurdles. Still, turning stressful psychiatric assessments into a video game children actually want to play looks like a massive win for objective digital healthcare.