Sony Corp. has snapped up Belgian-based start-up SoftKinetic Systems, which specializes in depth-sensing camera, as well as image recognition and body-sensing technologies.
On Thursday, Oct. 8, Sony acknowledged the acquisition of SoftKinetic which is anticipated to beef up the Japanese company's impending PlayStation VR headset. The device is expected to debut in mid-2016 and with SoftKinetic's technology on board, Sony would be able to imbibe gesture tracking features in the VR headset.
SoftKinetic has a time-of-flight (ToF) technology at its disposal, which is basically a technique for determining the space/distance to an object. ToF is the time it takes light to get reflected from an object and send it back to the sensor.
The software and the system decipher the time it takes for the light to reflect. The distance is calculated, as well as the shape of the article which was hit by the light. In this manner ToF range image sensors are able to plot a 3D space.
It is not known how much Sony shelled out to acquire SoftKinetic. The start-up will now be a subsidiary of Sony. The primary focus of the two will be to utilize the ToF image sensor and imbibe it with Sony's technology. This would fuel the development of next-gen solutions and image sensors.
"Sony will focus on combining Softkinetic's ToF range image sensor technology expertise with its own technologies with the aim of developing the next generation of range image sensors and solutions, not only in the field of imaging, but for broader sensing-related applications as well," states the Japanese company.
SoftKinetic has 77 employees and has Michel Tombroff as its CEO. The start-up is optimistic about the acquisition and thrilled to be with Sony.
"We are very excited to be part of Sony, the world's largest sensor manufacturer. Sony is the perfect partner for Softkinetic, and we look forward to leverage Sony's formidable assets to further drive the 3D vision market," said Tombroff.
