Samsung will launch a smartphone that will recognize people and objects stereoscopically next year, according to the Korean newspaper ETNews.
Next year we will see some smartphones with a 3D detection module based on TOF (Time-Of-Flight), which is a technology that calculates depth by measuring the amount of time that infrared light takes to reach the subject and be reflected. This technology is already present in some current smartphones such as the OPPO RX17.
TOF is useful for recognizing 3D objects at considerable distances. It is expected that this system is not used only for facial recognition but also for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
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According to industry sources, Samsung is developing a 3D detection modules with multiple partners and some of the smartphones that will launch next year will have a module based on TOF.
Samsung seems to be planning to install a TOF module on the front and another on the back of their smartphones. The first will be useful for facial recognition while the second will be used for AR and VR.
The combination of the TOF with the frontal camera can improve the security, for example at the time of verifying the identity or creating virtual personages like ’emoji’. On the other hand, the TOF in the back helps to measure the distance and more.
It will be the first time that Samsung uses TOF on a smartphone. Initially, it seems that the company will apply the TOF technology to the Galaxy S10 5G model and the Galaxy A series.
