Microsoft To Acquire 3D Sensor Innovator Canesta

California-based start-up Canesta will be acquired by Microsoft before the end of the year. Canesta is a leader in 3D sensing technology, whose 44 granted patents represent the company's breakthroughs in many areas critical to enabling natural user interfaces (NUIs) — such as Microsoft's own Kinect — across many platforms.

The deal will see Canesta's products and technology, including its single chip CMOS 3D sensors, acquired by the Xbox 360 creator. The CMOS 3D imaging chips enable fine-grained, three-dimensional depth-perception in a wide range of applications, allowing products to react on sight to the actions or motions of individuals and objects in their field of view.