Mirametrix Canada Making Smart TVs Smarter with Eye Tracking Technology

Posted by Richard Kastelein in Breaking News on November 17, 2011  |  0 Comments More from this author  |    |  Follow Richard Kastelein on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Mirametrix Canada, a specialist in eye tracking technologies announced today the world’s first successful integration pilot of consumer eye gaze tracking technology and analytics suite with a commercial SMART TV.

Mirametrix’ consumer eye gaze solution allows users to interact with on-screen or real world off-screen objects using their eyes without the need for head-mounted equipment or expensive add-on hardware.

The controls of a commercial SMART TV were modified to augment body gesture with long-range, contact-free, eye gaze tracking technology developed by Mirametrix. Using the new controls, Mirametrix tested a number of applications benefiting from such improved natural interaction including a redesigned Netflix movie selection menu controlled by eye gaze and gestures. Moreover, the advertisement display and content suggestion engines were integrated with Mirametrix’ eye gaze tracking analytics suite which accurately predicts the user’s preferences and current state of mind by monitoring its eye gaze over time.

“Eye tracking technology has long been restricted to niche applications such as basic research and assistive technology fields due to its traditionally expensive hardware architecture and complex setup procedure,” states Dr. Craig Hennessey, CTO & Founder of Mirametrix, “Our technology enables affordable, non-contact, consumer eye gaze applications for the living-room environment. Our instant-setup system also allows for free-head motion, and natural body movement.We are confident that Mirametrix consumer eye gaze technology will significantly improve the overall experience with the next generation of SMART TVs.”

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“Mirametrix consumer eye gaze technology has the potential to significantly improve media consumption and interaction in SMART TVs,” explained Dr. Helge Seetzen, CEO of Mirametrix. “Imagine sitting in front of your TV and it knows who you are and what you want. You are able to select content through your hand movement and eye gaze. The TV serves you content based on your previous visual interest, and optimizes the appearance of that content to maximize your personal viewing experience. When you are done, you switch off the TV by telling it to “turn off” while looking at it.”