103
AR & VR
ADVANCING
VIRTUAL
REALITY
HTC VIVE
Pro Eye
At first glance, HTC’s
VIVE Pro Eye looks
like just another
high-end virtual-reality
headset, much like
the ones from game
developer Valve or
Facebook’s Oculus
subsidiary. It’s not
the most user- friendly
option—it requires
a PC and isn’t wire-
less. But put it on,
and you’ll see how
the headset (which
costs $1,599) is
pushing the boundar-
ies of technology.
Its advanced eye-
tracking feature
follows your gaze so
accurately, it can be
used to navigate and
control devices by
people with physical
disabilities who can’t
use hand controllers,
and it automatically
increases the
resolution of what-
ever you’re looking at
using software that
mimics the way your
eyes actually focus.
More immersive
features cater to
businesses and pro-
fessionals who want
to incorporate VR into
their testing, training
or manufacturing
workflow. It conjures
a future where all job
training could happen
in a headset.
—Patrick Lucas Austin
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
A ROBOT
THAT
ROLLS
Temi
Will personal robots be the next
home- technology revolution? The
makers of Temi think so. Its robot
includes a touchscreen, voice
controls and 16 different sensors
that allow it to autonomously
navigate around objects and
people, as well as AI that enables
it to learn the layout of your
house and travel to any room you
tell it to—as long as it doesn’t
need to open doors or get up any
stairs. While Temi (which costs
$1,999) can also play music, take
photos, play games and answer
questions, the robot’s engineers
say its most important mission
is to help people stay connected.
“I knew that the telecom value
would bring happiness and reduce
loneliness,” says Yossi Wolf, Temi’s
founder and CEO. Employing voice
and facial recognition, the robot
can follow you with a video call
even if there are other people
around, and knows that “Call Dad”
means your dad, not your part-
ner’s. Launched in June, Temi has
already shipped hundreds of its
robots across the U.S.
ÑAlejandro de la Garza
Temi’s
autonomous
face tracking
lets its screen
tilt to meet your
gaze during
calls
The robot
is about 3 ft.
tall and can
travel up
to 1 m/sec.
TEMI: JOE LINGEMAN FOR TIME
