Infineon and pmdtechnologies Develop 3D Depth Sensing Technology for Magic Leap 2

By Taryn Engmark

Associate Editor

Embedded Computing Design

June 02, 2022

News

Infineon and pmdtechnologies Develop 3D Depth Sensing Technology for Magic Leap 2

Later this year, AR pioneer Magic Leap is expected to introduce its newest augmented reality (AR) device, the Magic Leap 2, designed specifically for enterprise use and to be one of the most immersive enterprise AR headsets in the market.

A key feature of Magic Leap 2 is its 3D indirect-Time-of-Flight (iToF) depth sensing technology, co-developed by Infineon Technologies AG and pmdtechnologies ag (pmd).

Magic Leap 2 demonstrates the potential of the REAL3™ 3D Image Sensor. The new IRS2877C Time-of-Flight imager captures the physical environment around the user and helps the device to understand and interact with it. The 3D imager’s VGA resolution allows different objects to be detected in detail.

The Time-of-Flight technology developed by Infineon and pmd creates an accurate 3D mapping of the environment as well as 3D images of faces, hand details, or objects in real-time. This advancement enables accurate environmental interaction and enhanced gesture controls with the Magic Leap 2. Infineon and pmd optimized the 3D sensor to minimize power consumption, both reducing heat and increasing Magic Leap 2's battery life.

“We have introduced our 3D imager technology in a professional environment, where precision and reliability are life-saving features,” says Andreas Urschitz, Division President Power & Sensor Systems and designated CMO at Infineon. “The latest 3D time-of-flight technology is going to enable new augmented and mixed reality applications for healthcare and industry. It’s about to change the way we live and work fundamentally.”

“Our technology helps Magic Leap 2 to detect precisely to the millimeter the location of objects in a physical environment. Virtual objects can be placed in the real world, and stay in place when the user walks around a room and would be obscured, as other real objects appear in front of them,” says Bernd Buxbaum, CEO of pmd. “It also works reliably in bright sunlight or complete darkness, where other depth-sensing solutions quickly reach their limits.”

More and more AR will be applied in industrial and medical environments that make use of these technological advancements. Brainlab, a Munich based digital medical technology company, combines their patient-specific, AI-driven anatomical segmentation visualization software with spatial computing from Magic Leap to provide surgeons an increased understanding of the patient’s anatomy.

For more information, visit Infineon.