Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Patent shows 3D camera tech that could make its way to iPhone 8

By

http://uat.www.digitaltrends.com/features/dt10-clothing/
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
With a wide range of applications from augmented reality to gesture tracking, photography, and even mapping, 3D-scanning technology is truly one of the next great innovations in the world of digital imaging. A team of Apple researchers in Israel, formerly known as PrimeSense and responsible for developing Microsoft’s Kinect gaming platform, has just filed a patent for a depth-sensing device that appears to be intended for the company’s mapping vans, but also holds far-reaching implications for consumer devices like the upcoming iPhone 8.

The patent filing, reported on by blog Patently Apple, depicts a compact “multi-mirror scanning depth engine” that determines the distance of objects in an environment based on the amount of time light reflecting off those objects takes to reach a sensor. This particular array would most likely be used as part of a light imaging, detection, and ranging device — more commonly known as laser or 3D scanners — that are standard in the geographic mapping industry.

Recommended Videos

As Apple continues to invest in talent to beef up its own mapping service, it’s not surprising the company might experiment with its latest discoveries in the field before condensing that technology into a smartphone after its been thoroughly battle-tested. Early last year, Apple acquired Emotient, a startup that used artificial intelligence to improve facial recognition. The upcoming iPhone 8 — which may actually be called the iPhone X, according to the latest rumors — has been tipped to include a 3D-sensing camera, where facial recognition is expected to be one of the major applications.

A depth-sensing camera offers clear benefits for iPhone photography as well. One of the iPhone 7 Plus’ most notable and well-received features is its dual-camera system, which combines the standard wide-angle lens on the regular iPhone 7 with an additional telephoto lens to enable optical zoom and deliver stunning depth effects. Bolstered by Apple’s advancements in 3D-scanning hardware, the upcoming flagship iPhone’s camera could be more powerful and versatile than ever before.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Adam Ismail
Adam Ismail
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Adam’s obsession with tech began at a young age, with a Sega Dreamcast – and he’s been hooked ever since. Previously…
Can a $500 Pixel phone beat a $1,000 iPhone in a camera test? I found out
iPhone 15 Pro (left) and Google Pixel 8a camera modules.

Right before Google I/O 2024, Google showed off the latest Pixel device, the Google Pixel 8a. This is the latest offering from the Pixel A-series, which is a more budget-friendly Pixel for those who don’t need all the bells and whistles of the flagship Pixel 8 or 8 Pro.

The Pixel 8a features a new design with more rounded corners and a matte-finish back. It packs Google’s latest silicon, the Tensor G3, but the camera hardware remains unchanged from its predecessor, the Pixel 7a.

Read more
Here are the 7 new emoji coming to your iPhone with iOS 18
2024 emoji.

It's that time of year again! The Unicode Consortium has released a preview of new emoji that will likely be included in a version of iOS 18 later this year or early next year. It will be up to Apple to officially add them to the next iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, and visionOS versions.

The new emoji announced today include ones for a sleepy face, fingerprint, leafless tree, vegetable root, harp, shovel, and splatter. The emoji examples provided by Unicode serve as starting points for Apple designers to create finished designs and are not the final images Apple will use. Google and other platform users will also work with these emoji as a starting point.

Read more
Emulators have changed the iPhone forever
Street Fighter emulated on an iPhone.

The iPhone App Store is finally home to a few emulators. For folks not into gaming, an emulator is software that allows you to run code from another platform. In this case, we are talking about emulators that let you play titles from retro game consoles (such as the Game Boy Advance) by taking the code installed on hardware (like a cartridge) and letting it run via apps on non-native machines (such as iPhones and iPads).

It seems fans have kept their eyes on this landmark development. Soon after its release, the Delta emulator app climbed to the top of the App Store download charts in 35 countries. An iPad app is already on its way. The momentum continued with the release of the Gamma emulator for PlayStation 1 titles. And last week, PPSSPP – arguably the best mobile emulator out there – landed on the App Store.

Read more