FOVE Inc. is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

that develops

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

(VR)

headsets Headset may refer to: * Headset (audio), audio headphone(s), particularly with an attached microphone * Head Set (band), an American alternative rock band * Headset (bicycle part), a bicycle part that connects the fork to the frame * Head-mounted ...

equipped with eye-tracking capabilities. By integrating eye-tracking technology into VR, FOVE enables more immersive experiences and applications across various fields, including

healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

, and

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

. The company's hardware and software solutions are utilized by medical institutions and academic organizations both in Japan and internationally.

History

FOVE Inc. was founded in May 2014 by Yuka Kojima and Lochlainn Wilson in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan. The company began developing a VR headset with integrated

eye-tracking Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze (physiology), gaze (where one is looking) or the motion of an eye relative to the head. An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and Eye movement (sensory), eye mo ...

technology. In May 2015, FOVE's headset was recognized by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

as the world's first eye-tracking virtual reality headset. In November 2016, FOVE began shipping its first product, the "FOVE 0", targeting developers and researchers.

Products

FOVE 0

The FOVE 0 is the company's first commercial

VR headset A virtual reality headset (or VR headset) is a head-mounted device that uses 3D near-eye displays and positional tracking to provide a virtual reality environment for the user. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games, but they are als ...

, released in November 2016. It was the first VR device to incorporate real-time eye-tracking technology, allowing for gaze-based interaction and

analytics Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It is used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns in data, which also falls under and directly relates to the umbrella term, data sc ...

. The headset features a 2560×1440 resolution display, a field of view of approximately 100 degrees, and support for

six degrees of freedom Six degrees of freedom (6DOF), or sometimes six degrees of movement, refers to the six mechanical degrees of freedom of movement of a rigid body in three-dimensional space. Specifically, the body is free to change position as forward/backw ...

(6DoF) head tracking.

FOVE VR Platform

The FOVE VR Platform is a software environment required to run VR applications on the FOVE 0 headset. It supports both free and paid plans, which differ in the level of access to eye movement data and analytics. The platform enables developers to obtain detailed eye-tracking data including gaze coordinates,

blink Blinking is a bodily function; it is a semi-autonomic rapid closing of the eyelid. A single blink is determined by the forceful closing of the eyelid or inactivation of the levator palpebrae superioris and the activation of the palpebral por ...

events, and

pupil The pupil is a hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to strike the retina.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. (1990) ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishing Company. It appears black becau ...

diameter.

Applications

Healthcare

FOVE's systems are used for early screening of

mild cognitive impairment Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a diagnosis that reflects an intermediate stage of cognitive impairment that is often, but not always, a transitional phase from cognitive changes in normal aging to those typically found in dementia, especially ...

(MCI),

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

assessment, visual rehabilitation, and evaluation of

neurological Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous system, which comprises the brain, the s ...

and

ophthalmological Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

conditions. Several hospitals and clinics in Japan have adopted FOVE systems.

Research

Academic institutions use FOVE in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...

, and HCI research to analyze gaze patterns and cognitive processes.

Installations and collaborations

FOVE has been deployed at: *

Kyushu University , abbreviated to , is a public research university located in Fukuoka, Japan, on the island of Kyushu. Founded in 1911 as the fourth Imperial University in Japan, it has been recognised as a leading institution of higher education and resear ...

Hospital – cognitive function research *

Saga University ; abbreviated as or , is a national university in Saga, Saga Prefecture, Japan. The university has five faculties with around 7,000 students. Its two campuses are in and . History The history of Saga University is complicated. The oldest Saga t ...

– gaze-based cognitive screening research *

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

– interdisciplinary VR studies *

Kanazawa University Kanazawa University (, abbreviated to ) is a Japanese Japanese national university, national university in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. The university was founded in 1949, although it can trace it ...

– attention and visual behavior analysis FOVE has also partnered with pharmaceutical companies and clinics to provide screening tools for health checkups and community healthcare.{{Cite web , url=https://cog-selfcheck.jp/list/ , title=List of FOVE installation sites , website=Cognitive Function Self-Checker , language=ja , access-date=2025-04-24

External links

Official website

References

Technology companies of Japan Virtual reality companies Companies based in Tokyo Japanese brands Medical technology companies Companies established in 2014