Mobile gaming started long before the iPhone (remember ‘snake’?) with revenues of over $5 billion in 2008. I recently came across an Israeli start up called EyeSight, which is trying to grab a slice of the pie by offering touchless control interfaces based on the phone’s built-in camera. EyeSight developed great technology, but it may be too late to commercialize it.
EyeSight’s technology utilizes advanced image processing and machine vision algorithms that combine translate user hand movements in front of the phone’s embedded camera into to commands on the cellular handset. Last year, EyeSight released its first solution for Symbian-enabled devices, aiming on integration in games such as: bowling, golfing, and games that involve shooting and kicking. The first game that uses its technology (and only as far as I could see) is Ninja Strike. The game is available only on Nokia N85 Devices distributed by Orange Israel.
The software is delivered a stand alone component, with a very small footprint and a simple API. EyeSight also offers eyeCall” – a mobile phone call control application. The product uses the visual navigation controls and enables the user to silent an incoming call, by a simple hand motion, without touching the mobile device or keypad.
In addition, eyeCall offers to send a predefined text message by simply covering the phone with the hand. For instance, when in a meeting, a hand movement above the phone will silent an incoming call, and by simply covering the phone with one’s hand, a predefined text message is sent – for example: “I am currently in a meeting, please call later.”
Compared to the iPhone, EyeSight’s technology has little to offer. Nokia is missing its version of the app store, and users are not running to install mobile games from rouge sites. Can EyeSight become the Wii technology for the mobile? Only if it can get the right distribution and strong adoption from mobile game developers, which seems highly unlikely. EyeSight was founded in 2004 and is based in Israel.
Watch the video of EyeSight’s products and services:
I'm a former general partner at google ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Google's first physical hub for startups.
I'm also the founder of Techbikers, a non-profit bringing together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read. Since inception in 2012 we've built 11 schools and 50 libraries in the developing world.
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