In what is being termed as “more or less” confirmed reports, Apple is said to have acquired Faceshift.
Faceshift is is a Zurich-based startup focused on creating technology that allows for capturing a person's facial expressions in real-time and using that data to create avatars and other figures.
The news comes following chatter about the potential takeover earlier in the year as technology sites like TechCrunch noted the deal last night.
And as is the case with apple even in instances when it conducts all smaller acquisition or before a product launch, Apple issued a statement that did not shed light on the rumors.
The Apple statement says: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
There are predictions by experts and analysts that the technology could be put to use in many areas from gaming to security even as the specific reasoning behind Apple acquiring Faceshift is not clear. The technology will especially come in handy as virtual reality continues to develop.
Things like real-time avatars for FaceTime video chats are some of the ways that Faceshift's real-time motion capture work in the gaming and chat arena could be used by Apple. However experts are of the opinion that the technologies of Faceshift could be put to more serious applications such as biometrics for unlocking devices or authorizing payments through facial recognition techniques.
Shares of Apple are slightly positive early Wednesday.
Faceshift worked with game and animation studios on technology designed to quickly and accurately capture facial expressions using 3D sensors before being acquired by Apple.
Faceshift worked with Faceshift Studio software with plugins for Maya and Unity. Consumer-facing software like a Skype plugin that would support real-time avatars for video chat were also the area of work and development.
There were media reports citing Swiss company registry filings that showed that Faceshift was acquired by Apple in mid-August. These reports gained credibility after it was found that several of Faceshift employees have now joined Apple and are working out of the company's European offices.
A senior software engineer that would focus on "cutting-edge imaging algorithms for both mobile and desktop photographic applications" has been reportedly hired by Apple along with additional employees to work on related technology in Switzerland.
The Computer Graphics and Geometry Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne was the seed of the formation of Faceshift. The company opened an office in San Francisco in 2013 as an expansionary measure and brought on industry veteran Doug Griffin, formerly of Industrial Light & Magic and Electronic Arts, to head up a San Francisco office.
(Sources: www. streetinsider.com & www.bbc.com)
Faceshift is is a Zurich-based startup focused on creating technology that allows for capturing a person's facial expressions in real-time and using that data to create avatars and other figures.
The news comes following chatter about the potential takeover earlier in the year as technology sites like TechCrunch noted the deal last night.
And as is the case with apple even in instances when it conducts all smaller acquisition or before a product launch, Apple issued a statement that did not shed light on the rumors.
The Apple statement says: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
There are predictions by experts and analysts that the technology could be put to use in many areas from gaming to security even as the specific reasoning behind Apple acquiring Faceshift is not clear. The technology will especially come in handy as virtual reality continues to develop.
Things like real-time avatars for FaceTime video chats are some of the ways that Faceshift's real-time motion capture work in the gaming and chat arena could be used by Apple. However experts are of the opinion that the technologies of Faceshift could be put to more serious applications such as biometrics for unlocking devices or authorizing payments through facial recognition techniques.
Shares of Apple are slightly positive early Wednesday.
Faceshift worked with game and animation studios on technology designed to quickly and accurately capture facial expressions using 3D sensors before being acquired by Apple.
Faceshift worked with Faceshift Studio software with plugins for Maya and Unity. Consumer-facing software like a Skype plugin that would support real-time avatars for video chat were also the area of work and development.
There were media reports citing Swiss company registry filings that showed that Faceshift was acquired by Apple in mid-August. These reports gained credibility after it was found that several of Faceshift employees have now joined Apple and are working out of the company's European offices.
A senior software engineer that would focus on "cutting-edge imaging algorithms for both mobile and desktop photographic applications" has been reportedly hired by Apple along with additional employees to work on related technology in Switzerland.
The Computer Graphics and Geometry Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne was the seed of the formation of Faceshift. The company opened an office in San Francisco in 2013 as an expansionary measure and brought on industry veteran Doug Griffin, formerly of Industrial Light & Magic and Electronic Arts, to head up a San Francisco office.
(Sources: www. streetinsider.com & www.bbc.com)
