Apple has confirmed the purchase of Faceshift, a motion capture company that was used for the upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Faceshift software can capture facial expressions and make them into digital avatars in real time.
Apple Buys Facial Shift Software
The company has naturally not disclosed why it acquired the company or for what purposes, but there are many theories that can be drawn from the purchase. It’s very likely that it gets developed into a series of apps, either for consumer use in a fun app or as an add-on to an existing app, much like Snapchat lenses.
Is Apple Creating a VR Trifecta?
This could also go into virtual reality technology and the development of augmented reality software. With Googe, Microsoft and Facebook dealing with VR already, it’s only natural that Apple also steps in that direction.
Apple has also acquired Polar Rose, a facial recognition form, back in 2010. There could be a possible fusion between these two firms, and Apple could even bring in a third company, Metaio, to implement augmented reality into the mix.
Apple Has Disclosed Nothing About Their Intentions
None of these companies have given Apple anything other than acquisition documents, but it’s possible that Apple may jump into the VR train in a very big way. Knowing the company, which never does anything lightly, we can expect something bigger than what Facebook, Microsoft and Google have released in the near future.
