Fove: The VR Headset That Uses Eye Tracking
The Fove VR Headset is now available on to order on Kickstarter. Fove is the creation of a San Francisco based start-up founded by a Japanese woman called Yuka Kojima. The Fove headset has already met its goal on the crowdfunding site with the current campaign set to end on July 4 2015.
Virtual reality headsets have grown to become one of the the hottest wearables in the industry. Major technology companies like Facebook, Sony and Microsoft are already pouring millions into developing their own version of virtual reality headsets.
While most of these first generation headsets have limited levels of interaction, the new headset from Fove promises a whole new level of user interaction using eye tracking.
Fove, currently available for pre-orders on Kickstarter, is a virtual reality headset initially created at a Tokyo university programme. The company has already raised more than its $250,000 of its goal on Kickstarter. The Fove virtual reality headset’s popularity is proving that people are just loving the concept, and are more than ready to back the project.
Foveated Rendering = Fove
The Fove VR Headset makes use of foveated rendering to make user interactions possible using eye movements. Its graphics engine can track where users are focusing their eyes, and then move views accordingly using those eye movements only. The company claims that the headset can be used with PCs, smartphones and even tablets.
Fove owners will be able to use their eyes to aim at specific objects within a given scenario. The headset can even focus a view based on the eye’s movements. This means whenever a user focuses their eyes on a particular object, the headset will automatically move to a higher resolution view for that focal point.
Users will also be able to make eye contact with, and interact with virtual characters. The headset also makes use of head movements to enable simpler navigation for content.
This presents a whole new opportunity for app and game developers. They can create the next generation of content that makes use of eye interactions only while also providing deeper interactions.
Games can help offer an even more immersive experience for their players by making gameplay that reacts to a user’s eye movements. This could mean a player simply looking around to change view or make relevant gestures. The company will release an SDK (software development kit) that will allow third party developers to port their games to the Fove headset.
Gaming isn’t the only area which can benefit from the user interaction model on the Fove VR headset. A number of business applications and other industrial content can also be used by the new virtual reality headset.
People with a disability can also make use of a virtual headset like this combined with a mechanism to perform special operations that would be otherwise difficult for them.
Some of the massive areas of application for the Fove virtual reality headset include gaming, healthcare, education, entertainment, social communication, and development.
The Fove project is currently in the crowdfunding stage. Once it receives the required funding, the project will move to production level testing, and then the company will start shipping developer kits. Fove will be released to consumers once there are enough developer apps and content.
The company has put a timeline of around spring 2016 for the consumer launch. It is selling the virtual reality headset for around $349 in the form of pre-orders, the retail price for which shall be $500 at launch. The pre-orders are only for a limited stock so get down to the Fove Kickstarter page if you are interested!
