Our history
More than twenty years ago, Tobii pioneered the world’s first plug and play eye tracker. Tobii has grown from a small Swedish start-up to a be a global leader in our industry. The company was listed on Nasdaq Stockholm in 2015 and today employs over 700 passionate Tobiians.
Tobii – from start-up to global market leader
The story of Tobii began in 2001 when three Swedish entrepreneurs — John Elvesjö, Mårten Skogö, and Henrik Eskilsson first understood the potential of eye tracking. With an ambition to transform industries and lives through technology adapted to human behavior, they founded Tobii. Today, Tobii builds cutting-edge attention computing solutions with technologies that empower our clients to truly capture human attention and intent.
In 2002, the first eye tracker is launched
The initial innovation came about a year later after the company was founded in the form of the world's first plug-and-play eye tracker. This product rapidly became a sought-after tool within the research community thanks to its ability to provide unique insights into human behavior, marking the foundation of the company’s first business unit Tobii Pro.
In 2005, the first eye-controlled computer is released
The next significant step came in 2005 when Tobii released the world's first eye-controlled computer, enabling people with disabilities to communicate using their eyes as an input mechanism. By entering the assistive technology market, Tobii laid the foundation for its second business unit, Tobii Dynavox. As each innovation arrives, Tobii's reputation as a game-changer in research and communication grew. The company begins expanding into new markets, opening offices in, for example, the US, Japan, China, Taipei, and South Korea.
In 2014, the first eye tracking platform is launched
In 2014, Tobii launched the first eye tracking platform designed for integration in consumer and purpose-built devices and monitors, and with it came the third business unit, Tobii Tech. In collaboration with pioneering OEMs, gamers, and ISVs, this part of the business brought eye tracking to healthcare, education, enterprises, and consumers through a plug-and-play USB peripheral and an embedded component in gaming laptops and VR headsets.
In 2021, Tobii enters a new era and Tobii Dynavox is spun off
To streamline our internal resources and better support customers and partners transition from research and innovation to commercialization, Tobii combines the strengths of its two closest business units — Tobii Pro and Tobii Tech. These two business areas, together with group-wide functions, forms a new Tobii. At the same time, Tobii Dynavox is spun off as a standalone entity listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, enabling this exceptionally capable organization to continue providing products that empower individuals in the disabled community to lead enriching and self-sufficient lives. A spin-off that has created significant shareholder value, while Tobii's strategic role in the evolution of attention computing and the vast opportunities it presents to industries and enterprises worldwide, continues.
In 2024, Tobii acquires FotonNation strengthening its automotive position
On January 31, 2024, Tobii completes the acquisition of FotoNation Ltd, including the AutoSense business and the new business segment named Autosense is formed. Tobii Autosense brings our mission of harmonizing the interaction between humans and machines – into vechicles. With the acquisition, Tobii becomes a top-three player in providing automotive interior sensing solutions to numerous renowned vehicle manufaturers (OEMs) around the world. Interior sensing solutions comprise driver monitoring systems (DMS) and occupant monitoring systems (OMS). By enabling DMS and OMS features with a single camera, we can raise the bar of what interior sensing can deliver in terms of safety and experience.
