Apple has confirmed its purchase of the Swiss-based virtual reality (VR) company Faceshift, whose motion capture tech was used to help make the newest film in the "Star Wars" series. The software can capture a person's facial expressions and then in nearly real-time convert them into digital avatars.
A few months ago rumors of the purchase first showed up. Tech Crunch has just confirmed the deal is real.
Besides being featured in the new "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" film, Intel also demonstrated motion capture tech earlier this year by using its 3D RealSense cameras.
Apple has not announced any details about its purpose for purchasing the Faceshift company, and has not revealed how it would use the tech. In fact, it has stated that sometimes it buys small tech companies and usually does not talk about the reason or future plans, according to Tech Crunch.
However, it has many choices. The tech giant could use the technology for facial recognition and security applications. It could also be used for VR and augmented reality (AR), joining Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.
Gaming is one application of AR/VR. Another is in film production, making the animated characters look more like the actors' facial expressions.
In fact, Faceshift's main product was marketed as a game-changer in the world of animation. That is because it can cut the costs and time required for animation.
Apple has purchased other tech companies including Polar Rose, PrimeSense, and Metaio, according to MacWorld. Like those pick-ups, it is possible that Faceshift will not result in new retail market products.
Here is a demo of Faceshift's Motion Capture tech: