Tobii Boosts Eye-Tracking in VR Environments

Eye-tracking specialist Tobii has a new analytical solution, Tobii Pro VR Analytics, allowing eye-tracking studies to be conducted within Unity 3D virtual reality (VR) environments.

A year ago, the company announced what it described as 'a first step in making eye tracking in immersive VR a reliable and effective research tool for a range of fields'. The new solution takes a substantial step forward: based on an analysis tool acquired together with Acuity ETS and Acuity Intelligence in January this year, it integrates into Unity VR environments and automates the visualization and measurement of what a user sees and does within a simulated world.

Tobii says this can uncover the factors that drive human attention across 'an unlimited number of hypothetical scenarios', including the consumer journey. For example, a retailer 'can quickly iterate between layouts of a store design and track the visual attention to arrive at one that is optimized to how shoppers walk the space and pick up items along the way'; or 'a commercial brand can test various product packaging on a virtual store shelf to gauge the best combination of color and design that will catch attention and get picked up by the customer'.

Away from MR and marketing, the firm says the tool 'will also open up for more efficient, engaging and safer training of individuals particularly in complex and high-risk occupations' - such as industrial, medical, aviation and emergency response.

The new solution provides instant access to the analytics, with visualizations automated: heat and opacity maps show the points in a VR landscape that received the most attention; while maps of scene overview with paths illustrate how one or a group of participants move through a scene to help understand foot traffic and identify potential bottlenecks.

Company President Tom Englund comments: 'Eye tracking has proved to be a natural part of VR, and the launch of Tobii Pro VR Analytics is major step towards our larger vision to also provide businesses and researchers with the tools to capture insights from these immersive environments. VR puts you in complete control of an environment while eye tracking explains our behavior while in that world - a powerful combination making the behavioral insights accessible to many more people'.

Tobii has around 1,000 employees and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. In February the company reported an eventful 2017, with an increased operating loss but strong investment in R&D and in new partnerships.

Web sites: www.unity3d.com/unity and www.tobii.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.