Amazon’s Kindle Phone will utilize Omron face-tracking technology

Amazon’s June 18th event is still mostly shrouded in mystery, but general consensus is that the e-commerce giant is releasing a phone of its own with an interactive 3D interface. Now, TechCrunch claims to have identified the technology behind that feature, and it’s supposedly Omron’s Okao Vision face-sensing system. The Amazon team reportedly customized the Japanese company’s creation so that it can be used to show 3D effects on an ordinary LCD screen without special glasses. Instead of relying on accessories, the software depends on four front cameras embedded on the device’s corners to track the user’s face, as well as on the phone’s accelerometer and gyroscope. 

Rumor has it – and we’ve confirmed – that Amazon will launch its first smartphone on June 18. The device will be unique in the marketplace thanks to its ability to deliver 3D effects courtesy of four front-mounted IR cameras. What wasn’t known is how Amazon planned to scan our faces to handle the UI elements. TechCrunch has learned that Amazon is usingOmron’s Okao Vision face sensing technology to track the user’s head. The Japanese firm’s technology was modified by an internal team at Amazon to allow its upcoming phone to deliver unique stereoscopic effects from a standard LCD screen. For example, as I previously reported, a user can tilt the smartphone or their head left or right to browse and access hidden side panels. Watch the video (below) Amazon released along with the invitation to its launch event. Our source tells us that sort of motion is exactly how the technology works. As we originally reported last year, his effect is done by the use of four front-mounted cameras placed at each corner of the device. The Okao face detecting and tracking software derives X, Y, and Z coordinates from the stereo-aligned cameras.