Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has found clues that if your eyes are not in a search mode, they can lock onto an object more quickly.

Like the "Terminator" cybernetic organisms, human eyes move methodically to find what the brain and nervous system controlling them is seeking.

UNL professor Mike Dodd says people's eyes go back faster to previously viewed locations when they are doing anything other than search.

He says knowing how the eyes' attention is gained is key to thinking about how to arrange the world around us.

That could mean rethinking how to arrange maps, where to place street signs or how to design vehicles and equipment to make them more user-friendly.