Education and Outreach

Technology Transfer and Licensing Success Stories

IMSC also actively pursues the dissemination of advanced immersive technology into commercial applications. These activities include technology transfer and licensing, startup and spin-off company creation; raising industry awareness of the Center's research, internship and educational programs, and development of the Center's business strategies of selected technologies.

To date, IMSC has had:

  • 106 invention disclosures across the multimedia and Internet technologies spectrum
  • 56 patents filed (6 Awarded)
  • 105 total commercial licenses and technology transfers
  • 9 spin-off companies formed

Example technology transfer and spin-off company success stories currently in the marketplace:

Geometrix, a company based in San Jose, CA, licensed IMSC's 3D face modeling technology and used it to create a high speed 3Dface capture solution, FaceVisionTM, and a virtual try-on solution for the retail optical market. Geometrix worked with Visionix of Israel to introduce 3D iView, the first commercial 3D virtual try-on system for eyewear. Hoya Corporation of Japan, the world's second largest manufacturer of eyeglass lenses, adopted the 3D iView Virtual Try-On System, deployed in Japan as "3D Best."

Rhythm & Hues Studios in Los Angeles licensed IMSC's augmented reality software, and created a computer-generated special effects system called "Fastrack". The software is being used routinely in the making of feature films, including such hits as "X-Men II", "Daredevil" and "Cat in the Hat". The tracking method developed by IMSC researchers adaptively selects the "best" features to track in natural scenes, reducing the time for scene rendering from minutes to seconds, and reducing the need for hand correction.

Our most recent spin-off company, Audyssey Laboratories, was founded in 2002 by Prof. Chris Kyriakakis and two IMSC ERC graduates. Audyssey develops innovative technologies for enhancing the quality of sound in home theaters, automobiles, movie theaters, cell phones, and portable music players. These technologies were developed from research at the IMSC Immersive Audio Laboratory. Audyssey's first licensed product appeared in October 2004 from a major consumer electronics manufacturer. Several more product releases will appear in 2005. The company, headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, completed its first round of financing in December 2004 and currently employs 8 people. Other spin-off companies, such as Fetch Technologies, and New Media University Academy, continue to grow.