Looks like the rumors that Apple has bought the Zurich-based Faceshift, makers of motion-capture technology, were correct.
Techcrunch said today that Apple had confirmed the acquisition in a statement. MacRumors had previously uncovered strong evidence that Apple bought Faceshift back in August.
The price was undisclosed, per usual with Apple. With the exception of its $3 billion Beats deal, Apple typically scoops up smaller companies for their tech and their teams.
Faceshift was founded by a group of Swiss researchers who developed a process for scanning facial features to create avatars and other figures that capture a person’s facial expressions in real time.
June 5th: The AI Audit in NYC
Join us next week in NYC to engage with top executive leaders, delving into strategies for auditing AI models to ensure fairness, optimal performance, and ethical compliance across diverse organizations. Secure your attendance for this exclusive invite-only event.
It’s anyone’s guess what Apple wants to use the technology for. With the new Apple TV, and an expanded focus on gaming, maybe it will let people make super cool avatars for all their Apple gadgets.
Or maybe Apple is going to make mo-cap versions of Apple keynotes and then turn CEO Tim Cook into a Wookiee afterwards. I’m hoping for this.
