Pelican makes lay-offs, refocuses on depth sensing
The company said that approximately half the staffing of 25 was let go. Mark Fulks, who was appointed as chief operating officer in May, is one of those that has left the company.
The moves come a couple of months after Apple acquired a rival developer of an array camera, LinX Computational Imaging Ltd. (see Apple buys array camera firm LinX).
Pelican, founded in 2008 and one year before LinX, has been pitching its CMOS sensor array in 5 by 5 and 4 by 4 configurations as a main camera for mobile devices including smartphones. The claim has been that an array of lower cost, lower resolution image sensors can be used to produce higher resolution images with variable depth of focus by way of computational imaging. It also allows for a lower profile sensor, something valued in modern smartphones.
Now Pelican is pitching the sensor array as something that provide depth information as a complement to a main camera in a superior way to the alternatives of stereo cameras, time-of-flight sensors.
A spokesperson for Pelican Imaging confirmed that the company has "reduced some of its staff recently, to allow the company to focus on core product development." Pelican is now developing a depth-sensing array solution for the VR and AR markets using off-the-shelf sensors and lenses.
"Regrettably, Mark Fulks has left the team at Pelican. Mark is a very well respected leader and we wish him success in his next endeavour," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the camera plus array sensor approach is way for the mobile OEMs to realize the benefits of depth capture while getting the high-resolution image quality from a primary camera.
Pelican’s array sensor provides a real-time depth map, enabling handset and wearable device manufacturers to realize improved image quality, faster focus, and highly accurate depth data, across a range of next-generation consumer devices. Pelican’s investors include Qualcomm Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners, Panasonic, Globespan Capital Partners, InterWest Partners, Granite Ventures, and IQT.
Related links and articles:
News articles:
Apple buys array camera firm LinX
Google files array camera patent application
Foxconn linked to startup’s 52-Mpixel camera technology
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
