ADI and Microsoft team up to create advanced 3D imaging products

Analog Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADI) announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft Corp. to leverage Microsoft's 3D Time of Flight (ToF) sensor technology, allowing customers to easily create high-performance 3D applications with higher depth accuracy without being limited by specific environmental conditions. Based on Microsoft Azure Kinect technology, ADI will provide leading ToF solutions for a wide range of audiences in the fields of Industry 4.0, automotive, gaming, augmented reality, computational photography, and videography.

Currently, the industrial market is driving the development of 3D imaging systems that can be used in harsh environments that require advanced applications such as collaborative robots, room mapping, and inventory management systems to achieve Industry 4.0. In addition, ToF can also enable occupant detection and driver monitoring functions in automotive applications, providing a safer car driving experience for drivers and passengers.

“Our customers want depth image acquisition to be as straightforward as taking a photo,” said Duncan Bosworth, general manager of ADI’s Consumer Electronics Business Unit. “Microsoft’s ToF 3D sensor technology, used in both the HoloLens mixed reality headset and the Azure Kinect development kit, is considered the industry standard for time-of-flight technology. Combining this technology with ADI’s own solutions enables our customers to easily develop and scale the next generation of high-performance applications they need, right out of the box.”

ADI is designing, producing and selling a new product line that includes 3D ToF imagers, laser drivers, software- and hardware-based depth systems that will provide excellent depth resolution on the market, with millimeter-level accuracy. ADI will build a complete system around complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imaging sensors to provide imaging with better 3D details, longer operating distances, and more reliable operation, and is not limited to targets within the line of sight. This platform provides customers with plug-and-play capabilities to quickly achieve large-scale deployment.

“ADI is a leader in transforming physical phenomena into digital information,” said Cyrus Bamji, Microsoft partner hardware architect. “This collaboration will expand the market penetration of our ToF sensor technology and enable the development of commercial 3D sensors, cameras, and related solutions that are compatible with the Microsoft ecosystem built on Microsoft depth, Intelligent Cloud, and Intelligent Edge platforms.”

ToF 3D sensor technology can accurately project controlled lasers that last only a few nanoseconds, which are then reflected from the scene to the high-resolution image sensor, giving a depth estimate for each pixel in the image matrix. ADI's new CMOS ToF product based on Microsoft's technology can achieve highly accurate depth measurement. It is a calibration solution with low noise, high stability against multipath interference, and easy mass production. ADI's products and solutions have begun to provide samples, and the first 3D imaging product using Microsoft technology is expected to be released at the end of 2020.