Gesture tech firm eyeSight wins $20 million Chinese investment

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By Larry Banks

Last week Chinese conglomerate Kuang-Chi announced it would invest $300 million in Israeli tech firms. For the first investment, the KuangChi GCI Fund and InCubator has chosen eyeSight Technologies to bring embedded computer vision to new tech sectors including the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and the automotive industry, according to an article in the Times of Israel.

“I’m pleased to announce the investment in eyeSight, along with a deep and broad partnership with one of Israel’s most exciting innovators”, said Dr. Ruopeng Liu, chairman of Kuang-Chi. “We examined the top companies in computer vision, gesture control and embedded deep learning, and came to the conclusion that eyeSight has developed one of the most advanced and versatile platforms. The company’s core technology is already incorporated into IoT systems and automotive platforms and together we will bring it to robotics and many other applications. With our help, eyeSight can dramatically increase its pace of growth and development”.

Liu says Kuang-Chi’s purpose is to “invest in the best local companies in the fields of biometrics, communications, robotics, and augmented reality and take them to the next level commercially and technologically”, helping them get established in the vast Asian market.

EyeSight has in the past 8 years or so developed gesture-control tech for lots of different gadgets, working with manufacturers to integrate its tech with remote controls and gesture-controlled televisions, smartphones and other devices. With is new ‘singlecue’ system eyeSight is now producing its first universal control product that can control almost any home appliance.

The singlecue can control almost any device or appliance that has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or infrared (IR) interfaces. The device has a built-in camera that detects gestures, and allows users to “load” different appliances by moving their hands in front of the camera. Once an appliance – like a TV – is loaded, the user can then use gestures to turn it on or off, increase/decrease volume, change the channel, etc. For music players, gesture control can fast forward/skip/repeat a song; with air conditioners, moving hands up and down can change the temperature; etc.

“Every device in our homes, from the TV to the cable box to the thermostat, has its own control system and remotes, cables or apps for operation, resulting in lots of clutter and fragmentation”, said Gideon Shmuel, CEO of eyeSight. “To solve this problem, we developed singlecue, a control center to bring together all of these devices through a natural, easy-to-use interface that leverages our years of experience in gesture recognition technology to let you experience your home through your fingertips”.

“I’m excited to partner with Kuang-Chi and look forward to working closely with its leadership”, Shmuel added. “With our leading computer vision capabilities and Kuang-Chi’s scale and position, we’ll be able to bring to the market capabilities that would otherwise be beyond our reach. Anyone who spends time in Shenzhen understands what a remarkable technology ecosystem has been built there with Kuang-Chi among the pillars of that ecosystem. It’s an honor and an opportunity to call them our partner.”

SOURCE: Times of Israel.

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