Project centers on integrating multiple human-machine technologies on a single platform for better power and cost efficiencies; FANCI applicable to multiple markets, initially focused on automotive industry
BRUSSELS, Jan. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — CEVA, Inc. (NASDAQ: CEVA), HARMAN, KeyLemon, nViso, SoftKinetic, Tobii Technology and the University of Siena, today announced that their joint project focused on multi-modal human-machine technologies, has received funding from Horizon 2020 (H2020), the €80 billion European Union Research and Innovation programme. The project is known as FANCI (Face and body Analysis Natural Computer Interaction) and CEVA will act as the project coordinator.
The FANCI project is centered around the integration of multi-modal human-machine technologies on a single platform, realizing significant cost and power savings for the implementation of these functions in embedded products. FANCI will research, innovate, architect, design, develop and validate innovative multi-modal face and body analytics and natural computer interfaces (NCI), develop a reference platform fitting a variety of applications, and provide validation through user experience evaluation and benchmarking. Initially the project will focus on the automotive industry to validate this technology.
Each of the bodies involved bring industry-leading expertise in their chosen fields: CEVA (Israel) as the provider of the CEVA-MM3101 imaging and vision platform and computer vision libraries for the human-machine technologies, HARMAN (Germany) as the automotive industry expert, KeyLemon (Switzerland) as the provider of face authentication software, nViso (Switzerland) as the provider of emotion detection software, SoftKinetic (Belgium) as the provider of 3D vision technologies and gesture software, Tobii Technology (Sweden) as the provider of eye tracking technology, and the University of Siena (Italy) as the developer of the application layer and the user API. FANCI will integrate all of these capabilities in a market-ready reference architecture, demonstrated by building a creative automotive application-suite demonstrator, including an application programming interface (API) for software application developers.
Commenting on the successful grant application, Shay Adar, Director of Technology Collaborative Programs at CEVA and Coordinator of FANCI, stated: "This funding from the European Union will enable us to accelerate our collaborative efforts to develop a fully-featured multi-modal platform for a highly-immersive human-machine interactive experience. Integrating all of these technologies into single reference architecture for embedded products will serve to validate the cost and power savings achievable and enable us to demonstrate the true capabilities of a fully-featured human-machine user experience."
About CEVA, Inc.
CEVA is the world's leading licensor of DSP-based IP platforms for vision, audio, and communications, and connectivity IPs for Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth®. CEVA's portfolio includes comprehensive technologies for computer vision and computational photography, advanced audio and voice processing, 2G/3G/4G/LTE/LTE-A baseband processing, connectivity (including 802.11ac and Bluetooth Low Energy) and serial storage (SATA & SAS). In 2013, CEVA's IP was shipped in more than one billion devices, including 40% of handsets shipped worldwide, powering smartphones from many of the world's leading OEMs such as Coolpad, HTC, Huawei, Lenovo, LG, Nokia, Samsung, TCL, Xiaomi and ZTE. For more information, visit www.ceva-dsp.com. Follow CEVA on twitter at www.twitter.com/cevadsp.
About HARMAN
HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets premier audio, visual, infotainment and enterprise automation solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson ® and Revel®, the Company is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 16,600 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $5.6 billion for the 12 months ended September 30, 2014. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR
About KeyLemon
KeyLemon S.A. offers convenient, secure and continuous biometric authentication solutions based on face and speaker recognition. To improve robustness to illumination and pose, as well as to provide enhanced security against photo/video spoofing attacks, KeyLemon's latest face recognition algorithms take full benefit of 3D depth sense cameras by efficiently combining depth, near-infrared and color information. KeyLemon's advanced technology is available as a multi-platform SDK, online web service and in a unique client-server solution for developers and manufacturers across a wide variety of industries. Used by consumers and enterprises worldwide, KeyLemon can easily be integrated into any device, system or application to improve online transaction authentication, facilitate access to mobile apps and services, and enhance safety features in machinery such as automobiles. For more information, visit www.keylemon.com.
About nViso
nViso is a leading provider of emotion recognition software that interprets human facial micro-expressions and eye movements captured through video. Its solutions use proprietary 3D Facial Imaging technology with artificial intelligence to track hundreds of different facial points to recognize human emotions. The company uniquely combines the latest advancements in computer science, engineering and behavioral sciences to make automatic emotion recognition a viable reality using any image based device. Its proprietary analytical techniques are based on theoretical work by Dr. Paul Ekman, which demonstrates that emotions can be precisely recognized by minor changes in micro-expressions in the face. nViso is based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland (EPFL). More information can be found at www.nviso.ch.
About SoftKinetic
SoftKinetic's vision is to give everyone the freedom to control, explore and enjoy the entire digital world through the most natural and intuitive user interfaces and machine interactions. SoftKinetic is the leading provider of 3D vision technology for the consumer electronics and professional markets, including automotive, digital signage, and medical systems. The company offers a complete family of 3D imaging, 3D scanning and gesture recognition solutions, including patented 3D CMOS time-of-flight sensors, modules and cameras (DepthSense® family of products), multi-platform 3D scanning and 3D gesture recognition middleware and tools (SoftKinetic® Libraries family of products). For more information on SoftKinetic please visit www.softkinetic.com. For videos of SoftKinetic-related products visit SoftKinetic's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/SoftKinetic.
About Tobii Technology
Tobii Technology is the global leader in eye tracking, and is pioneering eye tracking in personal computing, has transformed research in many fields and has enabled communication for thousands of people with special needs. The company develops and delivers core eye-tracking technology as well as a comprehensive solution for interaction and analytical applications. Tobii is headquartered in Sweden and operates through three divisions: Tobii OEM Solutions, Tobii Dynavox and Tobii Analysis Solutions, with offices in the United States, China, Germany, Japan and Norway, and a global network of resellers. Founded in 2001, Tobii continues to achieve rapid annual growth and receive awards and recognition for its accomplishments. www.tobii.com.
About the University of Siena
Founded in 1240, the University of Siena is one of the oldest Universities in Europe. Its 20,000 students live the unique experience of studying in one of the most admired historical centers in the world. Siena is a city campus which constitutes a perfect location for over 100 Teaching and Doctoral Programmes, 15 Departments and all related students' services. International and national rankings recognise its value as a Research and Teaching University. Notably, in the Censis-La Repubblica 2014 general ranking the University of Siena was classified first among Italian universities. The University of Siena has defined the improvement of students' services, sustainable development, internationalization and employability as its strategic priorities. For more information about the University of Siena, please visit: www.unisi.it.
CONTACT:
Richard Kingston
CEVA, Inc.
650-417-7976
[email protected]
