Tobii’s New Partnership Sets the Stage for Next-Gen Eye-Tracking in XR Headsets

Oh boy, so here’s the thing – this new team-up between Tobii and Prophesee has me hooked for some reason. And it’s about eye-tracking, which isn’t something I usually geek out over, but hey, life’s weird.

So, Tobii says they’re working with Prophesee to whip up some next-level eye-tracking tech for AR/VR headsets and these smart glasses everyone keeps buzzing about. What’s wild about Prophesee’s tech is that it mimics how our eyes work—sort of. Unlike regular cameras that capture… well, everything, their sensors are more selective. They only grab the important bits like movement or changes in light. Perfect for people with a short attention span, like me!

These cameras could be jamming in self-driving cars, factory rigs, phones, and now XR headsets, thanks to Tobii’s nudge. Imagine that, glasses that are smarter than they have any right to be.

Now, they’re going to mash-up Tobii’s eye-tracking wizardry with Prophesee’s event-based doodads. End result? Super rapid, energy-efficient eye trackers that are just right for the small, always-buzzing gadgets we’re supposed to wear on our faces—batteries be damned.

Luca Verre, co-founder and brain behind Prophesee, says this event-based vision stuff matches perfectly with the mad rush for low-power tech in future wearables. He’s pretty pumped about what they’re cooking up with Tobii, hoping it will, like, redefine what AR/VR eyewear can do. Bold words, eh?

And then there’s Emma Bauer from Tobii explaining that smart glasses are tricky—demanding low energy use and slick performance while looking like normal specs. I mean, who needs chunky frames when you can look “normal”?

Tobii’s been rocking the eye-tracking scene, especially in VR headsets. Their tech’s in Sony’s PlayStation VR 2, Pixel Crystal, and HTC Vive Pro Eye. The perks? Foveated rendering or social VR immersion, things you never knew you wanted until you did.

But yeah, the Tobii-Prophesee squad is adding spice to the eye-tracking world, and I’m oddly excited. No clue where this will lead, but I’ll be here sipping my coffee and keeping an eye on these innovators.