Apple’s Augmented Reality Is Coming to FaceTime, Using Light Field Camera Tech
Apple has won patent protection for a new way of using light field cameras, included in the iPhone 7 Plus–although it has been used by other brands as well–to project images into a live video chat.
The iPhone version of the tech overlays the images from two cameras to create a sense of depth, resulting in the “bokeh” effect where the subject of a photo is held in sharp focus while the background is blurred.
Using more cameras in the array, and focusing them on objects other than the main subject–like your fellow caller, in a video chat situation–makes it possible to radically expand the visuals of a video call.
Such technology is already available in webcams such as the Razor Stargazer and the 4k video-enabled Logitech Brio, which use infrared sensors to separate a caller from their surroundings. It’s also the key ingredient to the Windows Hello facial recognition software.
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