While Artificial Intelligence or AI takes up most of the limelight, its specialised subsets like Computer Vision, Machine Learning and others are similarly important. Computer Vision is the fascinating use of technology at our disposal that is being used in industries, driverless car testing, medical diagnostics, and more. The Paris-based startup Outsight works in the same field of technology and has developed an array of solutions, including the first 3D Semantic Camera, which led to the company securing €18M in seed funding.
Funding Alert
As mentioned above, the startup Outsight has raised €18M in seed funding, which is said to be the largest seed round funding in Europe this year. The funding round was led by Demeter Partners, Faurecia Ventures Safara Corporate Ventures, SPDG (the holding company of the Périer-D’Ieteren family) and through BNP Paribas bank’s Energy Transition Capital investment line that is dedicated to start-ups.
“Our 3D Semantic Camera is not only a new device but a change of paradigm where Situation Awareness becomes plug and play for the first time. We’re creating a new category of solutions that will unleash tremendous business value. We’re proud of having the support of such solid and knowledgeable investors that share our ambition. ”, said Raul Bravo, President co-founder of Outsight.
The first 3D Semantic Camera
Currently LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and 2D based video detection is being widely used for enabling driverless cars, CCTV cameras and video analytics. However, the 3D Semantic Camera developer by Outsight is said to be the first of its kind that can simultaneously perceive and understand the environment in 3D, including understanding the material composition of objects. Currently, there are two families of products by the startup, 3D Semantic Cameras for smarter cities and the first 3D Semantic Camera for vehicles.
Making smart cities smarter
The company offers 3D Semantic Cameras for monitoring large areas such as airports, malls, and venues. There’s also another version of it for vehicles, such as cars and off-road mobile robots. The former is aimed at enabling complete awareness via multiple devices in smart cities. It is touted to utilise output from multiple cameras and fuses it to create a blended 3D multi-physics Image, in real-time to enable shadowless full reality perception.
Via its technology, the startup can detect, track and classify objects. The 3D Semantic Cameras for monitoring large areas can also be used for people flow measurement. Add actionable KPI’s to the mix and you have a complete solution for smart cities.
Helping cars see
Outsight’s first 3D Semantic camera for vehicles is said to be far superior to existing technologies available in the market. Its solution is said to enable 3D localisation and mapping, along with full reality perception. The latter enables making sense of the colour, range and full velocity for vehicles. Additionally, object detection and tracking of surrounding objects that are either moving, movable or static is also possible.
Image credits: Outsight