Inspiring applications with 3D

User-Facing for security.
World-Facing for creativity.

Reliable and secure face authentication, enhanced photo functionalities and authentic augmented reality experiences: 3D depth sensors assume a key role in smartphones and for applications that rely on accurate 3D image data on both sides of the phone.

User-Facing
With our specially developed Time-of-Flight (ToF) imagers for smartphones we are enabling exciting new applications and significantly improving existing ones.
On the user facing side ToF makes face authentication more secure and reliable for payment and unlock or adds gesture control for advanced interactions.
World-Facing
On the world facing side depth-sensing significantly enhances the photo camera capabilities of a smartphone with advanced autofocus and video bokeh or improved low light performance. Our depth-sensing technology allows 3D scanning, improved AR experiences like real-time 3D mapping and occlusions of virtual objects, realistic relighting and precise measurement apps.

Face it!
Face unlocking is only secure with ToF.

Secure face unlock with ToF
This technology is already being used in payment transactions. Payments are carried out via facial recognition – with no need for bank details, bank cards, or cashiers. This requires an extremely reliable and secure image and return transmission of the high-resolution 3D image data. The same applies to securely unlocking devices with a 3D image.

Which solution is available for Front-Facing ToF?

Our miniaturized new 3D VGA module is a perfect fit for smartphones. By combining the new VGA imager IRS2877C (640x480 3D pixels) and the specially developed IRS9100C illumination driver from our partner Infineon we have reduced the design complexity, module size, calibration effort and bill of materials (BOM). Simultaneously we increased the efficiency to offer a powerful 3D depth-sensing module for front-facing applications.

Jointly developed reference designs for face-authentication use-cases are also available for the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 Mobile Platform.

Success Story
Re-Think the possibilities with
User-Facing ToF

The LG G8ThinQ is the first smartphone with a dedicated user-facing Time-of-flight (ToF) camera to enter the mass market. Highly secure authentication for both unlocking the phone and for confirming payments is enabled by our ToF solution.

In addition to that, the LG G8ThinQ can recognize a user’s unique pattern of palm veins, adding speed and convenience to unlocking the phone. This so-called multirecognition reduces the ability of a hacker to build a spoofing artifact to mimic the user’s physical attribute. On top of this, the live bokeh function of the G8ThinQ enables aesthetic adjustments in real time even while taking videos – and not only in post-photography. The user can also interact with the smartphone in the third dimension “beyond touch” by giving commands using hand gestures thanks to the Air Motion feature.

Learn more about the LG G8

World-Facing
Loooong range and high resolution

Advanced low-light photography
Our world-facing time-of-flight sensor enables fast and low power autofocus for smartphones. Effects such as background blur in videos and pictures from moving scenes are easily enabled without the need for post-photography processing and regardless of ambient light conditions.

Sensor Features
For a new generation of applications

Up to 10 meters range
Lowest power consumption
Flexible resolution
Available for mass production (2021)

Impressive augmented reality applications
With a range up to 10 meters, our sensor enables seamless augmented reality sensing experiences with high quality 3D depth data. Always-on applications such as mobile AR gaming can greatly benefit from the small power budget and provide users with longer playtime than ever. For applications such as the 3D mapping for furniture planning and other design applications.
Which solution is available for World-Facing ToF?
The volume delivery for this chip starts in Q2 2021, demo kits are already available. More information about the specifications of the imager will be available from Q1 2021.

ToF Applications for
Smart Homes.

Augmented Reality

Experience new realities with AR-Headsets and precise environmental scanning.

Robots and Smart Home

Enable autonomous navigation of cleaning robots or smart home security applications

Drones

Make drones fly autonomously in complex environments with 3D depth sensing

Retail

True-to-size 3D body model reconstruction for exact fitting.

Running on million devices

Success Stories
More products with Time-of-Flight

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Announcing the Next Generation 3D ToF Depth-Sensing Development Kit "flexx2"

Building on the success of the now-discontinued “PicoFlexx”, which already brought 3D depth-sensing technology to the hands of thousands of developers worldwide, we are happy to share the newest member of our pmd 3D Sensing Family with you.

January 14, 2022 Read more