Apple has acquired a start-up company based in Zurich that specializes in 3D animation. Recent reports reveal that Apple has purchased Faceshift, the company behind the motion-capture technology used in the latest Star Wars film.
BBC confirms that the tech giant has now bought the Faceshift, however, it was not disclosed how much the deal cost. Faceshift developed a technology that allows 3D characters to mimic the facial expressions of an actor.
According to Techcrunch, visual effects in areas like gaming and film are the main focus companies such as Faceshift. The start-up's main products were marketed as a game-changer in virtual reality.
"Faceshift studio is a facial motion capture software solution which revolutionizes facial animation, making it possible at every desk," according to the company. It has been used in the latest Star Wars film to make non-human characters more human in their expressions.
A spokesperson from Apple has confirmed the acquisition but is vague about their plans, "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
With this acquisition, many speculations about Apple launching a virtual-reality product are now spreading online. However, this concept is no longer new.
Fortune has formulated the same theory when Apple acquired an engineering team at Metaio for $32 million as reported in August of this year. The company is said to be affiliated with several VR companies.
Meanwhile an interview with Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst and gaming specialist at IHS, suggested that these purchases do not mean a virtual reality endeavour.
"This acquisition fits in with some of Apple's most recent deals which have centred on machine learning and related technologies such as voice recognition, augmented reality and artificial intelligence," he said. He did not believe that Apple will enter the VR market.
According to him, the acquisition can mean enhancement for communication apps like Facetime or a development of a facial recognition security feature.