It’s common for large corporations to buy up smaller specialist businesses that are working on technology that is mutually beneficial, and these buy-outs are usually announced once complete. Tech giant Apple tends to be slightly more secretive than others and according to website TechCrunch the Cupertino firm has acquired Swiss motion capture startup Faceshift for an undisclosed amount.
Faceshift has developed technology that can be used to generate animated avatars and other computer generated figures that enable the capture of someone’s facial expressions all in real time. This technology has been used in the recent Star Wars film to enable the characters who a non-human seem far more real and lifelike by improving their expressions.
Reports surfaced earlier in the year of the acquisition but these were all unconfirmed. TechCrunch claims to have dug up further sources and conclusive links, between the companies. And when pressing Apple for further details, the firm replied: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.” It also seems that several Faceshift employees have begun working for Apple out of Europe.
With Apple being so tight lipped on the deal, the reasons for the acquisition and how the company plans to use Faceshift’s technology can only be guessed at.
VRFocus will continue to follow the latest news from Apple regarding its designs on the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) industries, reporting back with any further news.
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