CES 2012 Preview: Tobii Technology Lets You Control Your Laptop with a Gaze [PHOTOS & VIDEOS]

Tobii Technology, a pioneer pioneer and the world leader in eye tracking and eye control technology, is all set to show off its recent innovation at the Consumer Electronics Show 2012 (better known as CES 2012), which is set to kick off on Jan. 10 in Las Vegas - its gaze interface for Microsoft Windows 8 Metro, which allows users to interact with their computers using eye tracking technology.

We anticipate that gaze interaction will revolutionize the way we interact with laptop and desktop computers the way touch interaction has for mobile devices such as tablets and mobile phones, the company said in a statement.

A leader in innovation, Tobii unveiled the world's first eye-controlled laptop and the first eye-controlled arcade game last year.

The fully functional conceptual prototype laptop was developed in partnership with Lenovo and was shown publicly for the first time at CeBIT in Hannover, in March 1-5.

The prototype, Tobii Technology CEO Henrik Eskilsson said in a press statement, is an evidence that our eye tracking technology is mature enough to be used in standard computer interfaces.

So what can you do with your eyeballs? Tobii said eye control is not only thrilling but also it makes the computer interaction more effective and natural.

It is as if the computer understands you; just glance at an icon or gadget and more information will be presented; You can zoom pictures or maps and automatically center on the area you are looking at; The computer can auto-dim and brighten the screen when it recognizes your eyes to increase battery time. Eye control can also speed things up by enabling new and intuitive ways to switch between open windows, and browse your emails and documents, a company statement read.

We anticipate that people will be extremely excited to be able to control their computer with their eyes, Barbara Barclay, general manager of Tobii North America, said.

No wonder, Tobii went ahead and released a purely eye-controlled arcade game (and the first of its kind) called EyeAsteroids. Initially, it might seem uncanny (and almost magical) that with a mere gaze, you're able to blow huge asteroids into smithereens, but Tobii has made it a reality and has brought the definition of retro gameplay into a whole new level (watch the video below).

When playing the eye-controlled Tobii EyeAsteroids, your hands literally become superfluous. It is guaranteed to provide an entirely new experience that differs radically from traditional controls, dance pads and gesture-controlled games, where you need to actively do something to make things happen, the company said.

Tobii now wants to take the eye control technology beyond the arcade halls and laptops and expand its use to company reception areas, exhibitions, and other venues.

And at CES Unveiled, a press-only event on Jan. 8, Tobii, which will be making its CES debut this year, promises a sneak peak of its recent innovations and the operating system that is formatted for such technology (watch the video below). We think it's the closest thing to mind reading and will have widespread ramifications in the consumer electronics industry. What do you think? Leave your comments below.

Tobii EyeAsteroids

Tobii Gaze Interface for Microsoft's Windows 8 Metro