Virtual Reality has several problems, and one of them is related to the movement of objects that are in different planes. That relates to the move that should be natural when we turn our heads, to avoid getting dizzy.
To solve this problem, Google has worked on immersive photography projects in virtual reality and a multi-camera technique to capture them. But now it seems that they have decided to buy Lytro to move faster in that regard.
Google will buy Lytro, the company that can revolutionize virtual Reality
Several sources have told TC that Google is acquiring Lytro. That is an image startup that started as an innovative consumer camera company before working with depth in VR.
Apparently, the price will be between 25 and 40 million dollars. And some employees have already received compensation and have been separated from the company. The purchase would also include the 59 Lytro patents related to digital imaging technologies.
Lytro has raised just over 200 million in funding. And was valued at around 360 million after its last round in 2017. So 40 million does not seem like a lot at the moment. The fact that Virtual Reality has not grown as fast as some thought makes Lytro have to make difficult decisions, and a sale like that can be.
Lytro has a technology that provides a way to capture the so-called light field of an image. So, that is a composite image with data supplied from all angles, so that although the image appears to be in two dimensions. Also, it has depth information and perspectives. So the subsequent edition opens an immense amount of possibilities.
Surely Google will use Lytro’s technology to create more realistic Virtual Reality platforms. So, working with the way we see digital images today.