tobii

Episode 37: Always On returns with Galaxy S4, Surface Pro, eye tracking and more!

Welcome to Season 4, everyone! It's only been a few weeks since we said goodbye, but it's felt like a lifetime. We've been busy planning and shooting the upcoming summer season, and seeking out the tech wonders of the world to keep the Always On train in constant motion. This season we've got it all! We'll be road-tripping in pimped-out RVs, opening up the biggest phablets of them all, road testing everything from the Chromebook Pixel to action cameras with motorcross pros, and even visiting NASA's newest space exploration vehicles. Plus a serious summer … Read more

Best of CES Emerging Tech: 3D Systems CubeX 3D printer

LAS VEGAS--Sight tracking sounds like a new PC interface we might actually use. And anything that helps push wireless charging forward will get our attention. But of all the still-developing technologies we saw at CES, it's the 3D Systems CubeX 3D printer that has us the most excited.

Makerbot announced its own new printer, the Replicator 2X, at this year's show. It's a fine-looking machine, and its print quality looks superb. 3D Systems got the nod for a nomination because its CubeX does things we haven't seen before in a consumer-approachable 3D printer.

The CubeX … Read more

Hands-on Tobii Rex's Windows 8 eye-controller

LAS VEGAS--In the near future, you'll be able to navigate through Windows 8 using little more than your eyes.

Tobii has shrunk its Windows 8 eye-controller down to a portable size and name, calling it the Rex, here at CES 2013. Not only is the peripheral smaller, it's also much more effective than it was at last year's CES.

The new Rex is small enough to sit on your laptop between the monitor and keyboard. It can also comfortably attach to the bottom of most desktop monitors. More interesting than its rectangular design, though, is the fact … Read more

Tobii Rex: Control a Windows 8 PC with your eyes

Whatever you may feel about Windows 8, it's sparked a number of interesting hybrid designs. Now you can count the Tobii Rex, an eye-controlled interface for Windows 8, as another innovation that works with Microsoft's latest operating system.

First seen at last year's CES, the Rex is an eye-tracking peripheral that works with Tobii's proprietary Gaze interface to navigate around a Windows 8 computer. The stick-like device attaches to the base of your computer screen and connects via a USB port. … Read more

Eye-controlled 'i beam' tablet lets you strap-hang safely

Japan has some pretty high-tech trains, but bumpy rides are still common. If you're squashed between dozens of commuters and gripping a strap with one hand while holding reading material in the other, turning the page as the speeding carriage lurches to and fro can be downright dangerous.

That's why NTT DoCoMo has developed a prototype tablet that you can control with your eyes. The "i beam" has a gaze-tracking function that frees your other hand so you can hang on to that subway strap, or, for instance, pull a suitcase around if you're walking through an airport. … Read more

Hey, look! Lenovo's got an eye-controlled laptop

When we first heard about Lenovo's new eye-controlled laptop, we worried that we'd have to stop winking at our monitors every time Justin Bieber popped up in our browser--or risk a seriously messy desktop. Fortunately, the eye-tracking technology is reportedly highly accurate and probably wouldn't be overly sensitive to our odd little tics.

The functional laptop prototype, being demonstrated this week at the CeBit tech fair in Hannover, Germany, lets you point, select, and scroll with your eyes alone. With a stare, for example, you can make a cursor appear, zoom in on pictures or maps, or switch between open windows and browse e-mails and documents. To increase battery life, the computer can auto-dim and brighten the screen when it recognizes your peepers. Also, as demonstrated at CeBit, gamers can glance to pull off actions like burning up incoming asteroids.

The laptop tracks eye movements by shining infrared lights into the user's eyes; hidden cameras then detect the glint in the retinas. The system needs to be adjusted to fit each individual user and works for those with or without eyeglasses. … Read more