Intel showcased its RealSense platform last month at the Intel Developer's Forum conference and the company is keen on improving the scale and capabilities of its computer vision tech.
In order to expand its vision capabilities, Intel purchased computer vision startup Movidius, which some techies might recognize as the firm that worked with Google for the Tango 3D-sensor.
Movidius CEO Remi El-Ouazzane notes in a blog post that his company will keep working to offer machines "the power of sight," mentioning that it will also integrate the RealSense developments from Intel.
Keep in mind that Intel is far from being the only company that inked a deal with Movidius.
Big players from the tech world such as Google, DJI and Lenovo already signed partnerships with the company to tap into its low-powered computer vision chipset.
Movidius has eight years of experience in the field and counts about 180 employees spread out in three countries: United States, Ireland and Romania. The company's activity earned the support of investors, as it managed to raise $86.5 million in funding from names such as DFJ, Capital-E, Emertec Gestion, Summit Bridge Capital and more.
Neither Intel nor Movidius commented on the terms of the deal.
El-Ouazzane is confident that when it comes to artificial intelligence, big achievements are knocking at the door. He goes on to say that the most challenging aspect of AI is to craft devices that "not just ... see, but also think."
"When computers can see, they can become autonomous and that's just the beginning," El-Ouazzane says.
Movidius' Vision Processor Units from the Myriad 2 family are embedded by Lenovo in the OEM's upcoming line of VR products. Meanwhile, Google will tap into neural computation engines provided by Movidius in order to enhance its mobile devices' machine learning power.
During the IDF conference, Intel unveiled that its depth-sensing RealSense platform will soon see an addition in the form of reality platform Project Alloy. Thanks to the latter, RealSense will even be more apt to assist autonomous drone piloting and various other deployments of computer vision in enterprise and consumer gadgets.
With the help of Movidius, Intel should be able to pack its RealSense sensor tech in a large array of devices. As the system-on-chip of Movidius runs with 1 Watt power budget (or less), this gives it an incredible edge over rivals.
Senior VP and GM of Intel's New Technology Group, Josh Walden, explains that RealSense gives gadgets the capability to "to track, navigate, map and recognize both scenes and objects."
Doing this while benefitting from Movidius' low power, cutting edge SoC opens new doors to manufacturing areas "where heat, battery life and form factors are key."
Intel is determined to lead the "new wave of computing," and teaming up with Movidius might be the best way to do so. The company announced that it aims to expand its investment into merged, augmented and virtual reality (MR/AR/VR), as well as in drones, digital security cameras, robotics and beyond.
What do you think Intel's probing into the future of computing will yield great results? Let us know in the comments section below.
