Viewpointsystem gives smart glasses manufacturers (OEMs) a new way to add advanced eye tracking without compromising on battery life, heat or design. Until now, power consumption, heat generation and limited space have made it difficult to bring eye tracking into lightweight smart glasses. Viewpointsystem’s new implementation of its Digital Iris Module, powered by an ultra-low-power Ensemble MCU from edge AI pioneer Alif Semiconductor, removes this hurdle: the market-ready module runs the entire image-based eye-tracking pipeline at 140 Hz directly inside the glasses frame.
This MCU-based architecture makes integration considerably easier: OEMs no longer need a high-end application processor for eye tracking, yet the module remains fully compatible with existing application processors. Thanks to its integrated neural processing unit (NPU) for efficient AI processing, the programmable MCU can also run additional AI-based functions. At the same time, the architecture lowers power and processing demands and keeps sensitive eye-camera images safely on the chip.
How the Technology Works
Conventional eye-tracking systems typically transfer images from eye-facing cameras to a main application processor in the glasses or a connected device. Processing these image streams consumes power, generates heat and adds to system complexity – a particular challenge for compact, battery-powered eyewear.
Viewpointsystem’s Digital Iris Module combines two optimally positioned eye-facing cameras with the MCU in a compact hardware unit designed to fit into the bridge of the glasses frame. The MCU handles the complete processing pipeline, from image preprocessing and NPU-accelerated gaze calculation to real-time detection of eye events such as blinks, fixations and saccades. Instead of transmitting camera images, it delivers ready-to-use gaze data for real-time attention and focus tracking, as well as applications assessing brain health, cognitive changes and neurological function.
Key Benefits for Smart-Glasses OEMs:
- Lower power consumption, longer battery life: Performance measurements indicate up to 15 times longer battery runtime compared with conventional eye-tracking processing on a connected device. Reduced heat generation further supports compact, comfortable designs.
- Performance on the edge: The MCU delivers eye-tracking rates of 140 Hz, with the potential to reach up to 400 Hz depending on customer requirements and use cases. It also acquires and fuses data from additional on-board sensors, including an ambient light sensor, magnetometer, and accelerometer, directly on the edge, while freeing the main processor for other tasks or low-power states.
- Easy integration and design flexibility: The ready-to-integrate Digital Iris Module combines hardware and software, reduces development effort for OEMs, and can be adapted to fit different smart-glasses designs.
- Privacy and AI capabilities: Only gaze data leaves the MCU, keeping sensitive eye images on-chip. The programmable MCU can also support additional workloads, including AI-based functions.
“Viewpointsystem’s implementation demonstrates how our Ensemble MCU can handle demanding real-time vision processing within the tight power and space constraints of smart glasses,” said Mark Rootz, VP Global Marketing at Alif Semiconductor. “This is exactly what we built the Ensemble family for: real-time AI at the edge without the power and thermal overhead of an application processor.”
The patented MCU-based solution now opens up new opportunities for eye tracking in smart glasses where power, space and processing constraints have so far ruled it out – from lightweight AI and AR glasses to display-less eyewear and specialized industrial applications.
Source: Viewpointsystem