Lyte: Former Apple Face ID engineers launch their robotics startup

Leading members of the team behind Apple's Face ID have unveiled a startup called Lyte, which aims to enable robots to "see." Lyte was founded by three former Apple employees who were instrumental in the development of Face ID's facial recognition software. With their new company, they aim to develop technologies that will help robots "see" better and move more safely in their environment. This was reported by the US news agency Bloomberg on Monday.

According to the report, Lyte recently raised around 107 million US dollars from various investors in a funding round. The three former Apple employees, Alexander Shpunt, Arman Hajati, and Yuval Gerson, founded the startup, based in Mountain View, California, in 2021. It currently employs around 100 people.

PrimeSense and Apple as a School

According to Bloomberg, Shpunt, Hajati, and Gerson were instrumental in developing the depth-sensing and perception technology that Face ID uses for facial recognition. Shpunt was also a co-founder of the 3D sensor provider PrimeSense, which laid the foundation for Face ID. Gerson also worked for PrimeSense. The Tel Aviv-based company was acquired by Apple in late 2013 for 360 million US dollars.

Apple has been a good school, Shpunt told Bloomberg. "We are trying to transfer the best that Apple taught us – the attention to detail, operational excellence, and the ability to delight and impress customers – to the robotics market."

Visual Brain for Robots

According to Shpunt, Lyte aims to serve as a "visual brain" for robotics by focusing on sensor and perception technology. "We realize that perception and, more generally, the ability of robots to understand their tasks, to be safe, and to react immediately to their environment – in other words, not to be zombie robots – is something we want to solve," Shpunt said. "So we set out to solve this problem."

The company's flagship product, LyteVision, includes three types of sensors – a camera, an inertial measurement unit, and a 4D sensor that measures distance and speed – and delivers immediately usable location and image data. This will enable robots to "see clearly" and "act safely" in the physical world. Shpunt believes that Lyte can achieve significant advances in safety in the next three to five years. The available funds will be used to invest in the core product, hire more employees, and expand operations, it is stated.

In addition to LyteVision, the California-based startup develops customized silicon chips, optics, and software for robot manufacturers. While Lyte does not disclose its current customers, its technology can be applied to various forms of robotics, from humanoids and mobile robots to robot taxis, the company says. According to Bloomberg, the sensor integration process, which can take years, is a major challenge in the robotics industry. Lyte aims to simplify this process with a plug-and-play solution where sensors and other components are integrated into a single infrastructure.

(akn)