July 23th, 2012 – Siegen – PMDTechnologies GmbH (PMD) launches a 3D Time-of-Flight community platform called cayim.com to connect developers and engineers working in that area worldwide and push forward the development of gesture recognition based applications.
Cayim (Can you imagine) is a community platform for companies and developers working with PMD Time-of-Flight (ToF) technology, specifically the PMD[vision]® CamBoard nano reference design. The webpage consists of a Forum, frequently asked questions (FAQs), a Download Area with latest updates, example applications and more. The users can share and exchange ideas, experiences, questions and answers with other Time-of-Flight developers and get access to support and latest software updates. One of the main goals of the Cayim-community platform is to speed up the application development by discussing best practices with experienced ToF developers and get in contact with other groups working on similar topics. Furthermore the users can introduce their work to a selected audience of ToF experts and interested parties and share their project, thesis, demo apps, and more. Companies are able to post challenges for needed apps or specific solutions and accelerate their current developments in the field of gesture recognition, human machine interfaces, object detection and many more.
The users can build their applications with the PMD[vision]® CamBoard nano, which is with dimensions of 37x30x25mm the smallest Time-of-Flight (ToF) depth sensor reference design available worldwide with a resolution of 160×120 3D-pixels. The high framerate of 90 frames-per-second and the wide field-of-view of 90° are optimized to obtain a stable and robust tracking of gestures in a large area in front of the sensor. This means the user can use natural motions without restrictions.The Nano utilizes a patented Suppression of Background Illumination (SBI) circuitry which has been optimized for close range gesture control, so it can be utilized under all indoor conditions without precautions. The SBI, which is integrated into each pixel, also adapts to changes in lightning conditions without requiring further calibration. Besides delivering a depth map the Nano delivers a 2D gray value image (amplitude image) simultaneously which is also not impacted by ambient light. Therefore, it´s possible to analyze scenes based on 3D data only or in combination with 2D gray value data. To support use-case evaluations an API PMDSDK2 for Linux and Windows (32bit/64bit) is offered along with the latest generation of the visualization tool LightVis and the MATLAB for Windows interface PMDMDK supporting customers to turn their ideas into reality.
PMD’s 3D ToF technology is already well established in various mass market products since 2005. However, as it is still a new technology for new users, there are many questions about the PMD principle as well as potential application scenarios. The community platform cayim.com, with a strong focus on PMD’s reference design CamBoard nano, was established to further clarify those aspects. „We are sure that Cayim will bring developers together in order to exchange ideas and experiences using PMDs 3D technology“, says Dr. Bernd Buxbaum, PMD’s CEO. “As a result, all participants will benefit from the interaction with others and speed up their own and unique application developments”. “The ability to interact with gestures at close range will revolutionize how we operate our PCs, our mobile devices, cars, kiosks, and a host of other devices. The ingredients of success for this revolution include high-quality, small form-factor depth sensors, enabling gesture software tools, and a developer community that realizes this revolution through their applications,” adds Janine Kutliroff, CEO of Omek Interactive. “PMD’s CamBoard nano offers breakthrough depth-sensing performance in the smallest device of its kind, which is why we’re building our Omek Grasp™ close-range gesture middleware on the CamBoard nano first. Add to the mix PMD’s new cayim.com developer site, and the circle is complete. All of us at Omek are excited to be part of this critically important community.”
About PMDTechnologies GmbH
PMDTechnologies, a fabless IC company is the worldwide leading 3D ToF CMOS-based digital imaging supplier. Founded in 2002 as a spin-off from the Center for Sensor Systems at the University of Siegen, PMD owns over 40 patents worldwide concerning PMD-based applications, the PMD (Photonic Mixer Device) principle and its realization. By 2010, the company had sold some 100,000 PMD sensors in various markets and applications. More than 60 highly-skilled engineers are employed by the German-based corporation headquartered in Siegen, working mainly on chip design, quality assurance and in the area of pre-series and product development.
For more information, please visit www.PMDTec.com.
PMDTechnologies GmbH Contact
Sabrina Buxbaum (MBA),
Corporate Strategy & Marketing
PMDTechnologies GmbH
Am Eichenhang 50
57076 Siegen, Germany
Phone: +49 271 23 85 38 828
Fax: +49 271 23 85 38 809
Am Eichenhang 50
E-Mail: s.buxbaum@PMDTec.com
www.PMDTec.com