A tablet concept with embedded eye-tracking is being prepared for its first public demonstration. The ibeam, a collaboration between NTT DoCoMo, Fujitsu, and Tobii Technology, is an Android tablet with Tobii's IS20 sensor that can detect where eyes are looking at, and then perform the action being focussed on by the user.
Intel has bought a 10 percent stake in Swedish eye-tracking hardware and software maker Tobii, which recently unveiled its second-generation IS-2S eye sensor. The chipmaker paid 143 million kronor (about $21 million) for the shares, Computer Sweden reported. Tobii has plans in place to bring its technology to vehicles and phones in addition to desktop and notebooks.
Tobii, which makes Gaze eye-tracking hardware and demonstrated its gear working with Windows 8 has brought its latest product to the CeBIT show. Dubbed IS-2S, it sports a new sensor that is 75 percent smaller than its predecessor and helps the device get a claimed 40 percent higher efficiency. The company also allegedly improved tracking range and performance.
Tobii, known for its partnership with Lenovo on an eye-controlled notebook, has now introduced its Gaze interface for Windows 8 Metro. The technology combines touchpad inputs and looking at an app to interact with it, and allows seven primary touch commands of Windows 8, including select, zoom, scroll and more. Eye-tracking hardware will determine at which area of the screen a user is looking and will place the cursor in that area when a user places his finger on the touchpad.
Tobii's new PCEye peripheral attaches to the monitor of a Windows PC and tracks users' eyes to control the computer. The device is meant for users with impaired motor skills due to injury or illness and is an alternative to a mouse. The PCEye is said to take less than a minute to calibrate, and attaches to 15- to 20-inch monitors using a VESA mount and a USB connection.
Tobii and Lenovo used the start of CeBIT to show a self-proclaimed technology first in notebook control. A jointly-made prototype lets users steer the pointer and look at content just by staring at the appropriate spot on screen. The system can even make a basic check for the presence of eyes to dim the screen while away and brighten it again on the owner's return.
