Umoove introduced a 3D flying experience game this week with novel technology that uses the camera on the iPad and iPhone to control your movement. The app is less of a game and more of a showcase of Umoove’s face and eye tracking technology.The Umoove game has you playing the role of a flying character that gathers purple bottle of potion. Before you start flying, the app spends a few minutes setting up the controls which rely on the gentle movements of your head. Once calibrated, you are ready to fly using only your head movements to move you up, down, left and right. The game works surprisingly well on an iPhone and iPad as long as the conditions are right. I struggled to control my character when I put on a baseball hat and when I went into a dimly lit room.

The Umoove game is a great showcase piece, but it is the technology behind the app where the magic lies. Umoove has developed software-based eye and face tracking technology that’s optimized for a mobile device. It works within the confines of your typical smartphone which features a small camera sensor and a mobile CPU. Not surprisingly, Umoove includes two SDKs that allow developers to tap into this technology. There is a FaceSDK for face-tracking that is available today to developers. There also is an EyeSDK for eye tracking that is still in the beta stage. It only is available to select partners.

You can check out the Umoove Experience game and some background information on the company’s eye-tracking in the videos above. When you are done watching, hop in the comments and let us know what you think about this technology.