PrimeSense was afabless semiconductor company and provided products in the area of sensory inputs for consumer and commercial markets.
PrimeSense's technology had been originally applied to gaming but was later applied in other fields.[1] PrimeSense was best known for licensing the hardware design and chip used in Microsoft'sKinect motion-sensing system for the Xbox 360 in 2010.[2] The company had been founded in 2005 to explore depth-sensing cameras which they had demonstrated to developers at the 2006Game Developers Conference. Microsoft had been looking on its own at 3D camera technology applications to itsXbox line of consoles, and engaged with PrimeSense after the conference to help establish the direction the technology needed to go to make it into consumer-grade products, while Microsoft improved on additional software aspects and incorporatedmachine learning to help with motion detection.[3]
On November 24, 2013, Apple Inc. confirmed the purchase of PrimeSense for $360 million.[4]
PrimeSense's depth acquisition was enabled by "light coding" technology. The process coded the scene with near-IR light, light that returns distorted depending upon where things are (Structured light). The solution then used a standard off-the-shelf CMOS image sensor to read the coded light back from the scene using various algorithms to triangulate and extract the 3D data. The product analysed scenery in 3 dimensions with software, so that devices could interact with users.[5][6]
TheCMOS image sensor worked with the visible video sensor to enable thedepth map provided by PrimeSense SoC's Carmine (PS1080) and Capri (PS1200) to be merged with the color image. The SoCs performed a registration process so the color image (RGB) and depth (D) information was aligned properly.[7] The light coding infrared patterns were deciphered in order to produce aVGA size depth image of a scene. It delivered visible video, depth, and audio information in a synchronized fashion via theUSB 2.0 interface. The SoC had minimal CPU requirements as all depth acquisition algorithms ran on the SoC itself.
PrimeSense embedded its technology in its own sensors, the Carmine 1.08 and Carmine 1.09. Capri 1.25, touted by the company as the world's smallest 3D sensor, debuted atInternational CES 2013.[8]
PrimeSense developed NiTEmiddleware which analyzed the data from hardware and modules for OpenNI providing gesture and skeleton tracking. They were released only as binaries.[9] According to the NiTE LinkedIn page: "Including computer vision algorithims, NiTE identifies users and tracks their movements, and provides the framework API for implementing natural-interaction UI controls based on gestures."[10] The system could then interpret specific gestures, making completely hands-free control of electronic devices a reality.[1] Including:
Identification of people their body properties, movements and gestures
Kinect byMicrosoft was powered by PrimeSense technology that allowed gamers to use their entire body to control play, action and movement of their onscreen characters.
WAVI Xtion for the PC byASUS used PrimeSense's core 3D sensing solution, developed primarily for browsing multimedia content, accessing Web sites and social networks when the PC was hooked up to the living room TV.[12]
[Structure Sensor] Mobile 3D sensor by Occipital used a custom chip based on PrimeSense's 3D sensing solution. The sensor itself was designed to easily attach to a wide range of devices, including the Apple iPad, Android tablets and desktop platforms such as Windows, OS X and Linux.[13]
Firecube SMART by Firecube Public Multimedia: An interactive multimedia solution for games, presentations and attractions in public spaces.[14]
EyePlay by Eyeclick - an interactive video gaming system with 3D interactive projection capabilities.[15]
ViiMotion by Covii:an Interactive Software Device, created to provide generic or custom interactive applications through computer vision.[16]
Interactive Projector byAyotle: an interactive solution that used a depth sensor to make any real or imaginary surface act like a tactile or contactless interactive device.[17]
Finger Tracking MW by 3Gear Systems: a precise tracking system that used computer graphics algorithms for reconstructing the precise pose of the user's hands from 3D cameras[18]
SmartFit by Styku:a multi-channel retail platform for fit prediction and visualization
Bodymetrics pod by Bodymetrics: a full 3D body scanner that was designed to calculate measurements which are then analyzed and used to find suitable garments.[19]
Matterport Pro 3D Camera byMatterport: a consumer 3D camera that creates immersive panoramic tours with an underlying 3D mesh.[20]
ASUS, the only remaining source of sensors based on PrimeSense technology
PrimeSense was a founding member ofOpenNI, an industry-led, non-profit organization formed to certify and promote the compatibility and interoperability of Natural Interaction (NI) devices, applications and middleware. The original OpenNI project was shut down byApple when they bought the open source software, but Occipital kept a forked version of OpenNI 2 active as an open source software for the SDK for their Structure Product.[citation needed]
The company provided the 3D sensing technology for the firstKinect, previously known asProject Natal.[25][26]
