Google's Project Tango digitizes real people and objects into computerized 3D ones, so that people can actually "touch" virtual versions of real-world objects.Īlthough Facebook and Google generally aren't considered Apple's allies, combining Faceshift's facial recognition with Facebook and Google's spatial recognition could produce some incredible AR/VR demos.Īpple isn't usually the first moverFacebook and Google are both trying to generate more mainstream awareness for VR apps. Facebook recently demonstrated how two people in different rooms could play ping pong in virtual reality. Over the past year, Facebook and Google have been trying to blur the lines between real-world objects and virtual reality. Apple could open the API to developers and let them integrate Faceshift features directly into iOS games. For example, Apple could integrate the technology into FaceTime and let users stream their facial expressions and voices to virtual avatars. How does Faceshift complement these moves?Buying Faceshift is an interesting move that could have interesting applications in the AR and VR markets. In November, the company promoted Apple Music with a 360-degree U2 music video that can be viewed through Facebook's Oculus headsets. That same month, Piper Jaffray claimed that Apple had assembled a special R&D team for AR hardware. Metaio also holds dozens of VR-related patents. Metaio's technology powers AR apps like Audi's digital owners manual, which identifies car parts with a camera, and IKEA's virtual catalog, which digitally places furniture into a user's living room. This March, Apple acquired AR start-up Metaio. Other patents suggest that Apple wants to put an AR overlay over Apple Maps to digitally measure distances and mark locations.
It then filed numerous VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) patents, including one for an iPhone-powered VR headset and another for a pair of smartglasses similar to Alphabet's Google Glass. Apple didn't discuss its reasons for buying Faceshift, but the acquisition strongly suggests that the company is beefing up for an expansion into the augmented and virtual reality markets.Īnalyzing Apple's AR and VR trailTwo years ago, Apple acquired PrimeSense, which designed the motion sensors for Microsoft's first Xbox Kinect.
The terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but most of Faceshift's Swiss employees are now working for Apple. The company's technology was used in the latest Star Wars film, and can be live-streamed into the Unity game engine for VR environments.
#Buy faceshift software#
Apple recently acquired Faceshift, a Zurich-based developer of motion-capture software that lets 3D-animated characters mimic an actor's facial expressions.
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