PRNewswire: Pelican Imaging is using its camera array technology to deliver a depth solution for mixed/augmented reality devices. There is market transition in progress in both mobile and MR/AR markets where there is a need for robust depth solutions that work in all lighting conditions, over a broad range of distances.
Recently, Pelican Imaging restructured its company to simplify its organization and align the internal resources with the company's overall business strategy in order to deliver this solution to the schedule required by its customers. This restructuring provides Pelican Imaging financial stability and sufficient resources needed to execute on addressing the needs of these markets.
Chris Pickett, Pelican CEO, said: "As I mentioned in my presentation recently at Augmented World Expo, we believe multi-baseline camera arrays augmented with near-IR patterned illumination can address the needs of depth imaging for these devices. This allows the system to perform robustly in both low light and bright light conditions while delivering high precision near- and far-field depth, providing advantages over 'time of flight' systems."
So they are going to use an RGB-IR pattern (instead of RGBG), and use the "clear" pixel to see an IR projected pattern. The question will be if the Pelican microlens solution would be cheaper/better than just using a "regular" RGB-IR sensor plus illuminator (or a two-chip RGB-IR system with a baseline) from the growing number of imager companies who provide them (Sony, Samsung, On...). Like their previous model Pelican will likely stay a software/algo play.
ReplyDeleteAdd in Oculus just buying a SL solution (Pebbles) and Microsoft Hololens having their own TOF solution, this is going to be a tough ride for Pelican, and I wish them the best of luck.
The problem is that they're too late to the game. There are many players in that space now. They've wasted so much time and resource on an idiotic idea that many people knew were not realistic. I would be surprised if their engineers didn't tell them that. The writings have been on the wall.
ReplyDeleteThere may still be something there in AR, but they still have hurdles to jump over. Hurdles in which they don't have expertise.