Eye-tracking technology is on the rise. Previously found mostly in the healthcare industry as aids for those with impaired mobility, it is now being incorporated into mass market consumer electronics for gaming and everyday tasks. While touchscreens have helped curb the need for some clunky hardware extras, eye-tracking technology could be the next step in finally weaning the PC off the keyboard and mouse.

We’re already seeing eye-tracking tech in mobile devices from Samsung and LG. “Their new flagship phones are able to detect users’ eye presence, allowing for features such as automatically pausing videos when the user is looking away from the screen or scrolling up or down a Web page,” reports the Wall Street Journal.

“These companies’ technologies, however, can only be used for very limited applications, and some tech reviewers and analysts consider them to be more gimmicky than game-changing,” notes the article.

Tobii TechnologyAB of Stockholm is one company hoping to bring eye-tracking to the mass market. “I’m convinced, even to the point of fanaticism, that eye-tracking will be integrated in all types of computer devices in the future,” said CEO Henrik Eskilsson. Tobii will start shipping its REX device this fall, which is “a small bar that attaches to the bottom of a computer screen through a USB port,” writes WSJ.

“Rather than using a camera, Tobii’s device includes a microprojector that emits infrared light to generate a reflection pattern on the eyes,” explains the article. “This reflection is collected by an image sensor and processed by software to determine where the person is looking, within a millimeter, Tobii says. Users must sit within a meter of the eye-tracker, and calibrate it to understand the characteristics of the specific set of eyes.”

But there are some limitations to eye-tracking, those in the industry admit. “Eyes are perfect for pointing, but lousy for clicking and executing commands, so I don’t expect that we will only use our eyes to interact with computers in the future,” Eskilsson said. But there’s a lot of promise there, regardless, as indicated by Intel’s $21 million investment (resulting in a 10 percent stake) in Tobii last year.

ETCentric has been following Tobii, especially at CES in recent years:

• Tobii Takes Eye Tracking Gaze to the Next Level, 1/8/13
• Intel Invests $21 Million in Eye-Tracking Technology from Tobii, 3/19/12
• Tobii: Navigate Windows and Destroy Asteroids… With Your Eyes, 1/24/12
• Tobii Demonstrates Prototype Eye-Tracking Cursor Control System, 1/9/12
• EyeAsteroids from Tobii: Will Eye Control be the New Motion Control?, 11/8/11