Tobii Sales Rise, Losses Fall (a Bit)

Swedish eye tracking developer Tobii AB has reported results for the second quarter, with net sales up 15% (constant currency) to SEK 307m ($US 34.7m). Operating losses were still substantial at SEK -59m ($US 6.7m), although down from -71m last year.

Gross margin was stable at 70% (71%). Of the group's three business units, Tobii Dynavox contributed SEK 22m, up from 18m and Tobii Pro moved into a small profit of SEK 1m, from losses of -2m a year earlier - however investment in the R&D division Tobii Tech continue to dominate the bottom line, with a negative impact of SEK -82m (-87m).

During the quarter, Dynavox introduced Speech Case, a product that converts the iPad into a complete voice and communication solution for people with disabilities; Tobii Pro launched a new analysis tool for eye-tracking studies in VR environments; and USB.org ap-proved a USB HID standard (Human Interface Device) for eye tracking that was developed by Tobii in collaboration with Microsoft, Intel and Eye Tech DS, while Microsoft launched an API (development interface) for eye tracking that makes it easier to integrate into Windows 10 applications.

CEO Henrik Eskilsson (pictured) said of the results: 'All three business units developed well in the second quarter. Tobii Dynavox more than doubled the number of units sold compared with the same period the previous year, Tobii Pro delivered yet another very strong quarter in terms of sales, and Tobii Tech advanced in both VR and PC gaming'.

Tobii has around 1,000 employees and is online at www.tobii.com .