Spectricity, a company from Mechelen, presented a new image sensor at the CES technology show in Las Vegas. This sensor will make the colors of smartphone images more realistic. Several smartphone manufacturers have already expressed interest.
Spectricity was founded in 2018 as a spin-off of the research center imec and has now completed its first product: the S1 Spectral Image Sensor. According to the company, the technology solves shortcomings in color accuracy that plague sensors in smartphones today.
This is a particular problem for people with darker skin. Companies like Google have been trying to solve the software problem for some time, but this will be a hardware solution.
“Right now, there are no competitors who can do what we can do,” says Jonathan Borremans, technical director of Spectricity. “Some smartphones already have spectral sensors for measuring white balance, but they measure average while we can measure white balance at any point in space. This is how we make a real difference.”
The sensor will provide more accurate colors. Borremans says this could lead to new consumer applications. He’s thinking, for example, of online cosmetics stores willing to offer personalized advice. The camera will be able to determine the exact color of the skin, so that the consumer can purchase the appropriate foundation or lipstick.
Several major smartphone makers are evaluating the Spectricity sensor, Borremans says. The technology is expected to be available in all smartphones within two years.
Spectrum offers its product CES Technology Show in Las Vegas. And it hopes to find new customers there, especially in western markets. The company is showing a demonstration where the colors of an iPhone image are compared to the colors of the Spectricity sensor.
The company was founded in 2018. There are 35 employees worldwide, working out of offices in Belgium, the United States, Taipei, and Malaysia.
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