PMD Technologies

<h2 id="history">History</h2>
PMD Technologies was founded in 2002 by Rudolf Schwarte and the <a href="/facts/Audi/AEyDIbTo">Audi</a> Electronics Venture GmbH<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a> as a spin-off of the Center for Sensor Systems (ZESS) at the <a href="/facts/University_of_Siegen/5hYGr6aR">University of Siegen</a>, Germany. It was the result of over 10 years of scientific research on 3D ToF imaging.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a> Another ZESS spin-off, S-Tec Sensor GmbH, founded in 1996, began developing PMD products in 1997. This company was acquired by PMD Technologies in 2002.
Basic patents for TOF-chips with new Photomischelemente (i.e. Photonic Mixer Elements resp. Devices) were filed in 1996 onwards by Prof. Rudolf Schwarte.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> A 3D Depth Camera with Time of Flight PMD sensors was available in the year 2000.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a>
In 2002, together with three other nominees, the developing team of PMD Technologies, represented by Rudolf Schwarte, Bernd Buxbaum, and Torsten Gollewski was nominated for the <a href="/facts/German_Future_Prize/vFwCGtuX">German Future Prize</a>, which is issued by the <a href="/facts/President_of_Germany/alla2gvH">President of Germany</a>, at that time <a href="/facts/Johannes_Rau/69dHp7cd">Johannes Rau</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a>
At the <a href="/facts/Hanover_Fair/uTXXI6tR">Hanover Fair</a> in 2005 PMD Technologies was awarded with the innovation prize called Hermes Award for its Efector PMD.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a>
In 2009, PMD Technologies received the 2009 European Real-Time 3D Imaging Enabling Technology Innovation Award by <a href="/facts/Frost_%26_Sullivan/9RJvGGfK">Frost & Sullivan</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a>
PMD Technologies took part in <a href="/facts/Google/GT9Sugza">Google</a>'s <a href="/facts/Project_Tango/yr2kkCxh">Project Tango</a> in 2015.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a> Resulting in the first Lenovo device being released in 2016 with PMD's 3D technology.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a>
In 2019, new offices were opened in <a href="/facts/Seoul/H0Xloz9o">Seoul</a>, <a href="/facts/Korea/cj2kDBzc">Korea</a> and <a href="/facts/Shanghai/nYyuBo2S">Shanghai</a>, China.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a>

<h2 id="products">Products</h2>
After initially focusing on industrial applications,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a> PMD Technologies began to spread their application areas into other fields, including the automotive sector,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a> consumer electronics, gaming,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a> security & surveillance, medical technology<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a> and live sciences.
In 2013 PMD Technologies cooperated with <a href="/facts/Infineon_Technologies/LAAXwhcC">Infineon Technologies</a> to produce 3-D image sensor chips for touchless gesture recognition.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a>
PMD sensors are used in the exteroceptive sensor suite of <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a>'s robot Valkyrie.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20">20</a>
The autonomous <a href="/facts/Humanoid_robot/0l82ABSc">humanoid robot</a> <a href="/facts/Justin_(robot)/MDwdE0ag">Justin</a> by the <a href="/facts/German_Aerospace_Center/nIeKtKqd">German Aerospace Center</a> (DLR) is equipped with PMD-sensors.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21">21</a>
A collaboration between PMD and Infineon Technologies resulted in a 3D iToF technology which was used in the <a href="/facts/Magic_Leap/ppfs5FYu">Magic Leap 2</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22">22</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23">23</a>
In 2023 PMD and Infineon Technologies launched the IRS2976C, a ToF VGA sensor, which was the first sensor to be located under the display and to pass <a href="/facts/Google/GT9Sugza">Googles</a> Class 3 Face ID certification.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24">24</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25">25</a>

<h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2>
<ul><li>Prof. Dr.-Ing. L. Overmeyer, S. Kleinert, "Stapeln leicht gemacht – 3D Kameratechnik unterstützt die Ladungshandhabung und hilft Unfälle zu vermeiden", <a href="http://www.industrie-service.de/?name=%2Fmagazine%2Findustrial-vision#1761900">"Industrial Vision"</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101026074702/http://www.industrie-service.de/?name=/magazine/industrial-vision#1761900">Archived</a> 2010-10-26 at the <a href="/facts/Wayback_Machine/nmQ3a6JC">Wayback Machine</a>, Vereinigte Fachverlage GmbH, Mainz, 2011</li></ul>
<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="https://www.pmdtec.com">Official website</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">"Small and Inexpensive 3D Image Sensor". frost.com. <a href="https://www.growthconsulting.frost.com/web/images.nsf/0/8A509A197C4531ED6525766C00295A29/$File/TI_Alert.htm" target="_blank">https://www.growthconsulting.frost.com/web/images.nsf/0/8A509A197C4531ED6525766C00295A29/$File/TI_Alert.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Audi Technologiemagazin Dialoge 1/2011 (in German) Die sehende Diode, Johannes Köbler. <a href="https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/de/publikationen/magazine/dialoge-das-audi-technologiemagazin-01-2011-125/download" target="_blank">https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/de/publikationen/magazine/dialoge-das-audi-technologiemagazin-01-2011-125/download</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">VDI Nachrichten (in German) (http://www.vdi-nachrichten.com/vdi-nachrichten/startzeit/article.asp?id=61[permanent dead link‍]) <a href="/wiki/Verein_Deutscher_Ingenieure" target="_blank">/wiki/Verein_Deutscher_Ingenieure</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Bestimmung der Phasen- und/oder Amplitudeninformation einer elektromagnetischen Welle, Google Patents <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/DE19704496A1" target="_blank">https://patents.google.com/patent/DE19704496A1</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Ling Shao, Jungong Han, Pushmeet Kohli, Zhengyou Zhang (editors) (2014). Computer Vision and Machine Learning with RGB-D Sensors. Springer Science+Business Media. p. 15. ISBN 978-3319086507. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) ISBN 9783319086507 <a href="978-3319086507" target="_blank">978-3319086507</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Team 3 | Deutscher Zukunftspreis, Kamerapixel mit Tiefgang: Durchbruch zum schnellen 3D-Sehen Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine, Official Site of the German Future Prize <a href="http://www.deutscher-zukunftspreis.de/de/node/291" target="_blank">http://www.deutscher-zukunftspreis.de/de/node/291</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">3D-Kamera erfasst ihr räumliches Umfeld in Echtzeit, Dr. Norbert Lossau, Die Welt, 12/03/2002 <a href="https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article282990/3D-Kamera-erfasst-ihr-raeumliches-Umfeld-in-Echtzeit.html" target="_blank">https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article282990/3D-Kamera-erfasst-ihr-raeumliches-Umfeld-in-Echtzeit.html</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">"Einfachheit ist so wichtig wie Zuverlässigkeit", VDI News No. 47 (Association of German Engineers), Heike Freimann, 11/22/2013 <a href="http://www.vdi-nachrichten.com/Technik-Wirtschaft/Einfachheit-so-wichtig-Zuverlaessigkeit" target="_blank">http://www.vdi-nachrichten.com/Technik-Wirtschaft/Einfachheit-so-wichtig-Zuverlaessigkeit</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">Frost & Sullivan Bestows European Enabling Technology Award in Real-Time 3D Imaging on PMDTechnologies GmbH, Frost & Sullivan <a href="https://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/press-release.pag?docid=185324374" target="_blank">https://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/press-release.pag?docid=185324374</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">Google I/O 2015 - Project Tango - Mobile 3D tracking and perception, 29 May 2015, retrieved 2023-11-08 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP9m9a2KEN4" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP9m9a2KEN4</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">"Sensing the world the way we do - the world's first Project Tango Smartphone". www.pressebox.com. 2016-06-09. Retrieved 2023-11-08. <a href="https://www.pressebox.com/pressrelease/pmdtechnologies-gmbh/Sensing-the-world-the-way-we-do-the-worlds-first-Project-Tango-Smartphone/boxid/800705" target="_blank">https://www.pressebox.com/pressrelease/pmdtechnologies-gmbh/Sensing-the-world-the-way-we-do-the-worlds-first-Project-Tango-Smartphone/boxid/800705</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">"pmdtechnologies ag Opens Offices in Seoul and Shanghai". FinanzNachrichten.de. Retrieved 2023-11-08. <a href="https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2019-01/45642229-pmdtechnologies-ag-opens-offices-in-seoul-and-shanghai-004.htm" target="_blank">https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2019-01/45642229-pmdtechnologies-ag-opens-offices-in-seoul-and-shanghai-004.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">pmdtechnologies timeline up to 2009 (http://www.ifm.com/ifmus/web/pmd_prd_timeline.htm) <a href="http://www.ifm.com/ifmus/web/pmd_prd_timeline.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ifm.com/ifmus/web/pmd_prd_timeline.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">Example for a PMD based Automation Product 3D Image Sensor Evaluates Size, Shape and Level Archived 2009-12-22 at the Portuguese Web Archive <a href="http://www.ifm.com/ifmus/news/news_sen_7TDK88.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ifm.com/ifmus/news/news_sen_7TDK88.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">First PMDvision Day – Automotive (in German) <a href="http://www.pressebox.de/pressemeldungen/pmdt-echnologies-gmbh/boxid-88612.html" target="_blank">http://www.pressebox.de/pressemeldungen/pmdt-echnologies-gmbh/boxid-88612.html</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">Free space determination for parking slots using a 3D PMD sensor – Scheunert, U. Fardi, B. Mattern, N. Wanielik, G. Keppeler, N. – Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, 2007 IEEE[dead link‍], Istanbul, 13–15 June 2007 <a href="http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentCon.jsp?punumber=4290054" target="_blank">http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentCon.jsp?punumber=4290054</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">Minority Report – Futuristic Interface Technologies by 3D Vision Inspect Online, July 2009 <a href="http://www.inspect-online.com/en/topstories/vision/minority-report?page=1" target="_blank">http://www.inspect-online.com/en/topstories/vision/minority-report?page=1</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:18">Time-of-Flight sensor for patient positioning Medical Imaging 2009: Visualization, Image-Guided Procedures, and Modeling; Schaller, Adelt, Penne, Hornegger; Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 7261 (2009) <a href="http://www5.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/Forschung/Publikationen/2009/Schaller09-TOF.pdf" target="_blank">http://www5.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/Forschung/Publikationen/2009/Schaller09-TOF.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:19">Clarke, Peter (May 29, 2013). "Infineon launches 3-D sensor for gesture recognition". EE Times. Retrieved August 13, 2015. <a href="http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1280896" target="_blank">http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1280896</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:20">Radford, Strawser, Hambuchen, Mehling, Verdeyen, Donnan, Holley, Sanchez, Nguyen, Bridgwater, Berka, Ambrose, McQuin, Yamokoski, Hart, Guo, Parsons, Wightman, Dinh, Ames, Blakely, Edmonson, Sommers, Rea, Tobler, Bibby, Howard, Nui, Lee, Conover, Truong, Chesney, Platt Jr., Johnson, Fok, Paine, Sentis, Cousineau, Sinnet, Lack, Powell, Morris, Ames. "Valkyrie: NASA's First Bipedal Humanoid Robot" (PDF). Prof. Aaron D. Ames, Texas A&M University. Retrieved August 13, 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link‍] <a href="http://ames.tamu.edu/Val-NASA-JFR-Final.pdf" target="_blank">http://ames.tamu.edu/Val-NASA-JFR-Final.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:21">Mobiler humanoider Oberkörper "JUSTIN", Official Site of the DLR Institut für Robotik und Mechatronik <a href="http://www.dlr.de/rm/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-4789/7945_read-12712/" target="_blank">http://www.dlr.de/rm/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-4789/7945_read-12712/</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:22">"Infineon, Pmdtechnologies Bring 3D iToF Depth Sensing to Magic Leap 2". eetimes.eu. 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2024-01-03. <a href="https://www.eetimes.eu/infineon-pmdtechnologies-bring-3d-itof-depth-sensing-to-magic-leap-2/" target="_blank">https://www.eetimes.eu/infineon-pmdtechnologies-bring-3d-itof-depth-sensing-to-magic-leap-2/</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:23">"Infineon and pmdtechnologies develop 3D depth-sensing technology for Magic Leap 2 – enabling advanced cutting-edge industrial and medical applications". infineon.com. 2022-05-30. Retrieved 2024-01-03. <a href="https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/about-infineon/press/press-releases/2022/INFPSS202205-086.html" target="_blank">https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/about-infineon/press/press-releases/2022/INFPSS202205-086.html</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:24">"Infineon Introduces New i-ToF VGA Sensor for Long-Range, Low-Power 3D Camera Systems". embeddedcomputing.com. 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2024-01-03. <a href="https://embeddedcomputing.com/application/industrial/machine-vision/infineon-introduces-new-i-tof-vga-sensor-for-long-range-low-power-3d-camera-systems" target="_blank">https://embeddedcomputing.com/application/industrial/machine-vision/infineon-introduces-new-i-tof-vga-sensor-for-long-range-low-power-3d-camera-systems</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:25">"ToF VGA sensor enables tiny 3D cameras". electronicproducts.com. 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2024-01-03. <a href="https://www.electronicproducts.com/tof-vga-sensor-enables-tiny-3d-cameras/" target="_blank">https://www.electronicproducts.com/tof-vga-sensor-enables-tiny-3d-cameras/</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

PMD Technologies open-in-new

PMD Technologies