VIDEO: SOME ANDROID PHONES MIGHT HAVE DEPTH-SENSING IR CAMERAS NEXT YEAR
Qualcomm is getting ready to define the next generation of cameras for the Android ecosystem. It's adding three new camera modules to its Spectra Module Program, which lets device manufacturers select ready-made parts for their products.
Along with improvements to things like noise reduction and video stabilization, one of the biggest additions to Spectra is support for several new camera modules with advanced sensing features. Last year, with the Snapdragon 835, Qualcomm launched the Spectra Module Program, which offered manufacturers pre-built and pre-configured camera setups for companies to just slot right into phones using a Snapdragon processor. And with the upcoming second-generation Spectra image processor, Qualcomm is offering three new modules: one with iris scanning, one with passive depth sensing, and one with active depth sensing.
The iris scanner is probably the most familiar, but Qualcomm says that its version offers improved performance and accuracy including the ability to successfully avoid being 'cheated' by images or moulds of people's eyes.
The passive depth sensing sensor works in a standard way, it uses two camera lenses, spaced slightly apart, to let the phone compare two images and piece together the depth of objects in stereo, similar to the way a human eye tells how far away something is.
The most interesting sensor might be the active depth sensor, it uses an infrared illuminator to shine a pattern of thousands of IR dots which an IR sensor can view. The sensor determines distortion in the pattern of dots and the phone can then map the depth more accurately than the passive system. The regular camera then provides a normal colour to the image allowing an accurate 3D image to be created almost instantly. The active IR system also adds benefits of working in low-light situations.
Qualcomm hopes that the phone companies will use the new sensor to further AR and VR on phones as well as more secure face unlocking than what is currently provided in traditional cameras.
Qualcomm is taking existing technology to the next-generation with the Snapdragon chip that makes this so exciting. Qualcomm is also expected to announce more information later this year and the Spectra camera modules are expected to ship sometime in 2018.
Have a look at the video to see how the IR system works and what can be expected from Qualcomm in the coming months.