Prophesee, Tobii partner to develop event-based eye tracking solution

Prophesee, the inventor of event-based neuromorphic vision technology, has announced a new collaboration with Swedish eye tracking and attention computing company Tobii to bring to market a next-generation event-based eye tracking solution tailored for AR/VR and smart eyewear applications.

This collaboration combines Tobii’s best-in-class eye tracking platform with Paris-based Prophesee’s pioneering event-based sensor technology. Together, the companies aim to develop an ultra-fast and power-efficient eye-tracking solution, specifically designed to meet the stringent power and form factor requirements of compact and battery-constrained smart eyewear, according to a media release.

Prophesee’s technology is well-suited for energy-constrained devices, offering significantly lower power consumption while maintaining ultra-fast response times, key for use in demanding applications such as vision assistance, contextual awareness, enhanced user interaction, and well-being monitoring. This is especially vital for the growing market of smart eyewear, where power efficiency and compactness are critical factors.

“Event-based vision is a perfect match for the growing demand for low-power, always-on sensing in next-generation wearable devices. This partnership builds on a strong foundation of collaboration between our teams and expands our joint capabilities into the eye-tracking space,” said Luca Verre, Co-founder and CEO of Prophesee. “With Tobii’s proven leadership in eye tracking, combined with our experience in event-based sensing, we aim to set a new standard for what’s possible in AR/VR and smart eyewear.”

Tobii, with over a decade of leadership in the eye tracking industry, has set the benchmark for performance across a wide range of devices and platforms, from gaming and extended reality to healthcare and automotive, thanks to its advanced systems known for accuracy, reliability, and robustness, the media release said.

“Smart eyewear is one of the most demanding segments for eye tracking—requiring ultra-low power, high performance, and seamless integration into a standard glasses form factor,” said Emma Bauer, Senior Vice President, Integrations at Tobii. “Through partnering with Prophesee, we add event-based sensors as a complement to our existing camera technologies, giving our customers even more options and flexibility when designing their products.”

This new collaboration follows a proven track record of joint development ventures between Prophesee and Tobii, going back to the days of Fotonation, now Tobii Autosense, in driver monitoring systems.