SMI Shows First Eye Tracking Upgrade for Augmented Reality Glasses

SMI Shows First Eye Tracking Upgrade for Augmented Reality Glasses

SensoMotoric Instrument (SMI) adds eye tracking to Epson Moverio BT-200 for hands-free interaction, gaze sensitive on-demand content, and personalized visualization in augmented reality.

BOSTON and TELTOW, Germany, August 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

    At the 2015 Siggraph Conference, SensoMotoric Instruments
[http://www.smivision.com/en.html ] (SMI) shows the world's first Eye Tracking Integration
for augmented reality [http://www.smivision.com/augmented-reality-eyetracking-glasses ],
based on Epson's Moverio BT-200 see-through head mounted display and on SMI's mobile eye
tracking platform. With this new solution, unprecedented quality and efficiency is brought
to personalized visualization and to multi-modal, hands-free interaction with
context-sensitive displays. For the first time, professionals and researchers can
integrate gaze, and visual attention in AR applications.

         (Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150806/256308 )

    SMI will demonstrate the solution at Siggraph in Los Angeles, booth 1022, August 11-13,
2015.  

    One critical component for a good AR user experience is the ability to accurately
overlay and add content to objects, as if pinning it to them. To achieve this, precise
knowledge about the users' physiognomy and gaze is required. SMI's advanced eye tracking
algorithms offer this quality and add continuous adaption of the visualization to the
user's biometric information, replacing current cumbersome and error-prone display
calibration routines.

    Visual orientation, search and inspection procedures are often crucial, yet
error-prone, tasks in manufacturing, logistics, technical service, medical and other
professional fields. Gaze-sensitive information processing supports tasks by exploiting
the user's attention, e.g. by providing "in-the-loop" gaze guidance during procedures that
are quality-sensitive and visually complex. This can be done by structuring, guiding and
monitoring the search, and the visual intake progress. Eye tracking enables objective
assessment and documentation of what is seen. Gaze overlay also allows for transfer of
expertise and can make expert knowledge and procedures explicit and transparent to others.

    With eye tracking in AR Displays, context sensitive information can be provided to the
user exactly when he needs it, where he needs it. Superimposing information and
instructions onto real objects gives the user access to instant 'at-a-glance' and
on-demand information, such as condition of cargo, health data of patients, or performance
data of machines. SMI's eye tracking integration into multimodal interaction helps to
realize convenient, hands-free device and application operation in these challenging
situations and environments.

    "I believe that eye-tracking is one of the last remaining critical interaction
mechanisms that will enable digital eyewear to be intuitive for end users and SMI is the
clear leader in this space," says Pete Wassell, CEO and Co-Founder of Augmate.

    Professor Dr. Thomas Schack, who leads the research group "Neurocognition and Action -
Biomechanics" (NCA) at the Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interactive Technology (CITEC)
at Bielefeld University: "SMI's AR eye tracking is the technology platform that helps us
realize a unique research project at CITEC, funded by the German Federal Ministry for
Education and Research. ADAMAAS focuses on the development of a mobile adaptive assistance
system in the form of intelligent glasses."

    "SMI Eye Tracking for Augmented Reality Glasses completes our broad range of
innovative eye tracking solutions for researchers and developers," says Eberhard Schmidt,
Managing Director at SMI. "Many AR applications need and will greatly benefit from eye
tracking for visualization and interaction purposes. With this latest addition, our eye
tracking platform spans all relevant display categories from desktop over handheld and
mobile to HMD and Smartglasses for VR and AR. According to market researchers, the AR
smartglass market will grow tremendously to 100 million units in 2018 and it will be as
big as the smartphone market in 10 years. We think that eye tracking will be of critical
importance to equip AR devices and applications with the high-quality user experience to
reach such numbers."

    The SMI AR Eye Tracking upgrade package to the Moverio BT-200 comes with an SDK for
easy creation of and integration with applications for the rapidly growing smart glasses
and augmented reality applications market. Among other functionalities, the SMI SDK allows
access to real-time streaming of gaze data synchronized with the AR display content.

    - Cross reference: Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com )

    About SMI 

    SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI) is a world leader in eye tracking technology,
developing and marketing eye & gaze tracking solutions for scientists and professionals,
OEM and medical solutions for a wide range of applications. Find out more at
http://www.smivision.com [http://www.smivision.com ]. Follow @SMIeyetracking on Facebook
[https://www.facebook.com/smieyetracking ], Flickr
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/smieyetracking ], YouTube
[https://www.youtube.com/user/smieyetracking ] and Twitter
[https://twitter.com/SMIEyeTracking ].

       
         
        Media Contacts 
        SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH (SMI) 
        Stefanie Gehrke 
        +49-(0)172-3808-537 
        Stefanie.Gehrke@smi.de 

     

    Photo:
    http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150806/256308

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150806/256308
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150806/256308
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH (SMI)