Sony’s imaging division has developed new 3D camera sensors, and is currently in talks with a number of potential customers including Apple and Samsung. These new cameras use ToF (time of flight) technology which uses laser pulses and measures the time taken for these pulses to bounce back. This is more accurate compared to the current ‘structured light’ approach that have limitations on accuracy and distance.
Examples where this can be used include gesture control, or interacting with real-world environments within mobile games. Sony has been showing this off with a custom phone with 3D sensor on the back. In one example, the phone calculated the depth of the room and accurately displayed a virtual goldfish swimming in-front of and behind real-life objects. Sony has more details on its dedicated website.
“Cameras revolutionized phones, and based on what I’ve seen, I have the same expectation for 3D. The pace will vary by field, but we’re definitely going to see adoption of 3D. I’m certain of it. The most important thing in the coming year will be to get people excited,” said Satoshi Yoshihara, head of Sony’s sensor division.
Sony is expected to kick off production in late Summer 2019. There’s a good chance we could see this in an upcoming Sony Xperia device later in the year.
Thanks Diogo and mrninko!
