Eye-tracking technology has been around for a while now, but 2013 looks like the year in which the technology would really take off. Tobii, the company behind the eye-tracking Gaze Technology, has announced that it will show off its eye tracker, called the REX, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2013) next week.
REX, a USB-connected peripheral that adds the eye-tracking feature to any Windows 8 PC, can be attached beneath the monitor of desktops and laptops. Once connected to your computer, the device works in conjunction with a special software called Tobii Gaze that will track exactly what you're looking at on the screen. The device will help you perform a lot of functions with a glance, such as scrolling sideways or blasting asteroids. The technology, as the company says, is not intended to replace the traditional peripherals like mouse or keyboard, but to augment these input devices. The device is not meant to be used as an assistive technology either.
Tobii has not announced the real cost of the final product; however, according to Mashable, REX is available now to developers at $995. The company said it will make only 5,000 of the REX peripherals available for consumer purchase. The device is expected to have an official launch in the fall.
The company amazed everyone at CES last year when it introduced its eye-tracking technology and applications that could support it. In a video released early in 2012, Tobii showcased something similar to REX which showed how Tobii Gaze can highlight the different tiles on the Windows 8 Start menu once you glance at them.
