Asteroid Builds Biosensory Interface Engine to Prepare AR Developers for the Future
Asteroid creates a node-based human-machine interaction engine that helps developers integrate advanced biosensory data like eye-tracking and brain-computer inputs into their apps. The startup also offers a crowdfunded hardware dev kit to showcase these emerging interface capabilities.
Asteroid builds a node-based human-machine interaction engine for macOS and iOS that helps developers integrate advanced biosensory data into their Swift applications. Instead of relying solely on traditional inputs like touchpads and screens, this engine allows apps to process where users look, their subtle gestures, and even their brainwaves to create more immersive experiences.
To demonstrate the potential of these emerging interfaces, the startup launches a crowdfunding campaign offering open-hardware developer kits. The $450 package includes eye-tracking gear, brain-computer interface electrodes, and motion controller components, though developers can also purchase a standalone $200 eye-tracking kit. Asteroid emphasizes that this hardware is purely a utility-focused tool rather than a core business product.
The long-term goal for Asteroid is to support as much existing and future AR hardware as possible without becoming a hardware company itself. While the engine works effectively with just a standard smartphone camera and microphone, these specialized dev kits give creators a way to experiment today with the deeply intertwined interfaces of tomorrow.