Israeli sensor startup linked to PS3 'Eye Toy'

[Ben-Nice]

I heard a rumor about this before. I guess it's true

LONDON — Prime Sense Inc., an Israeli startup company that has reportedly just raised a first round of funding, has been linked to an upgrade to the Eye Toy for the Sony Playstation.

Prime Sense (Herzeliya Pituach, Israel) has developed a sensor plus digital processor to provide a real-time 3-D mapping of objects in space, according to the companys Website. In essence it appears to be an image sensor and processor combination which perceives the world in 3D and derives an understanding of the world based on sight, in the same way that humans do.

For the Eye Toy application it is expected that the Prime Sense sensor will be used to view the user so that his or her position and movements can be abstracted and then applied to the through-character in a computer game.

The device includes a sensor, which sees a user (including their complete surroundings), and a digital component, or brain which learns and understands user movement within those surroundings, according to the Prime Sense Website. Prime Senses interactive device can see, track and react to user movements outside the computer, all without change of environment or wearable equipment for the end user. The closed device is plug and play and platform independent, it also adds.

http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=191900391

 

[nintenho]

They don't descrbe it's design but it sounds like it's using two cameras to see depth. Didn't they already have camera that sent infrared beams demoed?

 

[Titanio]

I heard a rumor about this before. I guess it's true

Pretty surprisingly this article is only citing that same rumour and nothing more (see the second page of the article), so I wouldn't be inclined to believe it.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The phrase 'sees like humans do' rings a bell of notoriety. I already poo-poo'd that idea! So I guess it's the same rumour.

 

[one]

Pretty surprisingly this article is only citing that same rumour and nothing more (see the second page of the article), so I wouldn't be inclined to believe it.

It's kinda surprising to see EEtimes jumping on an anonymous rumor on a web forum :smile: Slow news day for EEtimes or ...? Though I'm not sure if it's really linked to Prime Sense but have seen a similar rumor (but it was with 2 cameras) in a different place so there may be something.

 

[Nesh]

I hope its true. It is a very exciting and interesting concept

 

[SenatorMonkey]

They don't descrbe it's design but it sounds like it's using two cameras to see depth. Didn't they already have camera that sent infrared beams demoed?

At one of the DevCon talks, I saw the infrared camera demoed (I think it was Marx doing it, can't remember fully). It worked VERY well, but he said we wouldn't see this camera hit a consumer unit for quite some time, since it was around $30K

 

[pc999]

Is this that make those EyeToy 2 (or whatever is caled) demos?

Anyway if it can bring new gameplay and it will be associated to the power of PS3 it just can be good IMO.

 

[nintenho]

At one of the DevCon talks, I saw the infrared camera demoed (I think it was Marx doing it, can't remember fully). It worked VERY well, but he said we wouldn't see this camera hit a consumer unit for quite some time, since it was around $30K

Ahhhhh.

 

[DemoCoder]

This sounds like it may be related to an Israel facial recognition research project to detect differences between *identical twins* that I read about a few years ago.

(googling)

Yep, found it;
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/03/10/israel.twins.reut/

 

[rabidrabbit]

At one of the DevCon talks, I saw the infrared camera demoed (I think it was Marx doing it, can't remember fully). It worked VERY well, but he said we wouldn't see this camera hit a consumer unit for quite some time, since it was around $30K

With big money funding and backing from a big company like Sony, surely they can reduce the price.
The high initial price usually is to cover the R&D, if it is not too expensive to manufacture it's not impossible for something that cost $30K drop to consumer level virtually overnight.
Still, it could be this very same tech is not going to be what will be known EyeToy for PD3, but maybe something else from the company that might use some of the tech and knowledge of the "Prime Sensor".

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It depends why it costs so much. Kinda like Blue Laser prices aren't going to drop overnight when the blue diodes are still hard to make. To get from $30,000 to say $60 to be mainstream needs a reduction to 1:500, which is a tall order. That's 9 price halvings! How many devices halve their price as much as twice a year? Unless the price is so high because the market for this tech is limited (and who needs 3D cameras?) I'm guessing it's expensive because it's hard.

Still, if they can reduce the components from 'best quality' to 'consumer quality' that can make a big difference. At the moment we've no idea of the tech to determine what reductions can be made. And the DevCon guy said it wouldn't be seen for a while. If a big firm like Sony were on board with intentions to mainstream the tech, wouldn't he have said 'we have hopes it'll see widespread adoption in the near future'?

This sounds like it may be related to an Israel facial recognition research project to detect differences between *identical twins* that I read about a few years ago.

I don't think so. Prime Sense (www.primesense.com) doesn't list in their Board or Team any of the Bronstein twins or Ron Kimmel named in that CNN report.