eyeSight announces world's first Android set top box with gesture control

The nTobeBox turns any television into a gesture-enabled ‘Smart TV’

TEL AVIV, Israel — Leading gesture recognition company eyeSight Mobile Technologies has partnered with Korean specialist smart set-top box (STB) company Innodigital to release the world’s first Android smart set-top box with integrated gesture recognition technology. Innodigital has selected the world’s most powerful and intuitive-to-use gesture control to provide the compelling user experience at the heart of its nTobeBox product.

The nTobeBox from Innodigital revolutionises the living room by transforming any normal television into a SmartTV that can be used to watch TV, stream content, download and use apps, make video calls, surf the internet and more.

eyeSight’s leading gesture control technology allows users comprehensive control over every aspect of Innodigital’s set-top box. Using a combination of simple hand gestures and hand tracking enabling virtual mouse control, users can easily perform any function that can be accessed using the device’s remote control.

The experience is so intuitive and seamless as to be almost invisible to the user, and eyeSight predicts many users will simply find gesture control to be the easiest, most natural way to use their Innodigital box.

“We’re really happy to working in co-operation with Innodigital to produce something remarkable; the world’s first STB with integrated gesture control,” said Gideon Shmuel, CEO of eyeSight. “The groundbreaking user experience we’ve brought to this Innodigital product will help it stand head-and-shoulders above its competition: eyeSight’s advanced machine vision algorithms allow for natural, intuitive gestures, making our technology the number one choice for OEMs looking to provide their customers with a user experience which is a true enhancement compared to the current interaction methods.”

I.K Kim, CEO at Innodigital added: “We have taken our product to the next level by incorporating eyeSight’s incredible technology, to become the developers of the world’s first Android-based set-top box with gesture recognition. We chose eyeSight’s software-based solution not only because of the fantastic user experience but also for the simplicity of integration and flexibility it allowed. Now users can do anything our product offers simply by moving their hand. This kind of interaction represents a sea-change in people’s relationship with smart TVs.”

The nTobeBox product with eyeSight’s gesture recognition technology will be internationally available on the beginning of next year. The set top box will be running on the newest version of Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich OS and includes a full web browser, app store, Skype video call technology, embedded Wi-Fi, full support for 1080p HD and a QWERTY remote control.

Innodigital is also looking at working with TV providers across the globe to release the box as part of a digital television package for consumers, and encourages television network operators to contact the company to discuss terms and receive a free sample-product.

eyeSight has recently gone from strength to strength as one of the leading providers of 2D gesture control. Its gesture technology has received excellent market traction, featuring in several high-profile devices including the Pantech VEGA LTE mobile phone. The company has been was featured as one of Gartner’s “Cool Vendors” of 2012, and has recently received another significant round of funding from international investors.